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Episode 19: Katherine Gibbs
182 Plays2 years ago
Tiffany and Denise talk with Katherine Gibbs, Jojodabom, a knit and crochet designer, about her design process and inspiration.
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Transcript
Introduction of Hosts and Guest
00:00:15
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Knit, Design, Edit, Sleep, Repeat with Lisa Conway, Denise Finley and Tiffany Wooten. Let's listen in and see what's happening, who's happening and what's new and new.
00:00:37
Speaker
Today, Denise and Tiffany talk with Katherine Gibbs, a knit and crochet designer from New York.
Lisa's Recovery Update
00:00:46
Speaker
Well, hello, Ms. Sparkle Coordinator. How goes it today? It's going, Ms. Tiffany. How about yourself, sweetie? I'm moving and grooving. That's about as nice as I can put it right now.
00:00:59
Speaker
This is our latest recording session. I'm just warning the listeners out there anything can happen. Yeah, I'm keeping her up close to her bedtime y'all. So this will be a crazy train production put on your seat belts.
00:01:12
Speaker
Fasten the seatbelts, put the tray tables and they're at bright positions and hold on tight because it's going to be a fun one. It's the chaos train, y'all. It's the chaos train. So yeah, we're not the crazy train today, we're the chaos train. So I think before we get started, Tiffany, we might want to mention Lisa. I'm sure she would appreciate that. Yeah, just especially some of our listeners might be wondering because they're used to hearing either her and you or her and me or all three of us together.
00:01:40
Speaker
It's been a minute since we've all three been on here together. Yeah. So after some of Lisa's surgery and some few complications that came up, she has been doing quite well finally. She's got her pain under control, which is huge. Right. And she started some pool therapy, which she loves, loves the pool therapy.
00:02:01
Speaker
So very excited about it when I was talking to her before she started. So she's kind of chomping at the bit wanting to come back. But Tiffany and I have planned this little supplies of all this packet of interviews and podcasts waiting for her. So almost to the holidays. So boom. But she is doing well. She gets plenty of plenty of rest without being overwhelmed and don't want her to worry about this. Yeah, we don't want her to worry about this.
00:02:26
Speaker
She still gets all of the emails. She still gets tagged on the Facebooks. She still gets all of her Instagram messages. So if you want to send a shout out of love and support, she would love it. She would. She would. She would adore it and appreciate all of the kind.
00:02:43
Speaker
Excuse me, my Dr. Pepper's trying to say hi. She would, she would love all of the love and attention and, or well, not the attention, but she would love all of the love and support and happy thoughts and prayers. Yeah, very much so, very much so. Anyway, so, so we have, it's our guest background noises that are chiming in with us.
Meet Katherine Gibbs
00:03:08
Speaker
So we have Miss Denise, I would like you to meet Catherine.
00:03:12
Speaker
She is my vampire sister from the other east coast. Not the other east coast, but from the east coast. The other coast. I'm over here on the west coast. Yep. I've got bicoastal tonight and then I'm sitting here in the middle. So Catherine is a size inclusive knit and crochet designer with a love of cables. We trade so many cable pictures back and forth. It's ridiculous. It's so much fun.
00:03:39
Speaker
And she's an all around fiber creative that does spinning and dying. And I don't even know what else I love watching her stuff because she comes up with some of the most random stuff and it just makes me happy. So hi, lovely. Hi. Nice to meet you, Denise. Nice to meet you. And tip as always.
00:04:02
Speaker
Yep, you're stuck with me. I love you. I love you too. You're just stuck with me. So that's how it is. So we met in a pattern test. And I don't even at this point, I don't even remember which pattern test it was two and a half years ago. But I kind of think we actually tested together. I think we were just like,
00:04:22
Speaker
talking about something. I don't even know. No, we had to have tested together because you were actually in my stories like you were along my story top line and I don't remember what we tested together. You and I figured it out once and it's been a very long time since then. Not really important. No, but I kind of stalked her stories and found out that, you know.
00:04:45
Speaker
I mean, I did. I stalked her stories and figured out that we were similar fields and similar insanities for life. So we kind of became friends off of that.
00:04:58
Speaker
since then we have we were both up at weird hours at that time too yeah we both worked night shift at that point in time so when we were the only two up in the world we did a lot of talking and a lot of bonding and a lot of you know hey what are you working on this is what i'm working on hey i'm having problems with this and she is also one of two people which is or one of three people which is the reason why i knit and she is the sole reason why i knit socks
00:05:24
Speaker
Or I at least have a pair cast on. I'm like a third of the way through the heel. These heels have not gone anywhere, people. These heels are still sitting over here doing nothing. And they're just staring at me very accusatorily. I can help you. I can help you. I'll send you the link. We're going to get to it eventually. We'll get to it eventually. I will send it to you after this recording. I promise. I'm not worried about it. We'll get to it eventually.
00:05:49
Speaker
Anyways, all right, Ms. Sparkle Coordinator, you want to kick us off? I certainly will. First of all, Catherine, it is one of my absolute favorite names. Catherine, I love to say it. I love to write it. I love to type it. In fact, it is the name of one of my protagonists in one of my series that I just started about six months ago.
00:06:09
Speaker
Her name is Kat. And they call her Kat. Of course, you know. No, actually that's her daughter's name. The protagonist, she's Samantha and they call her Sam. So it's Sam and Kat. I thought it was kind of cute. But anyway. That was a cute thing.
00:06:24
Speaker
It is one of my favorite, favorite, favorite names. Also, what I would like to ask you to get this thing kicked off. We ask this of all of our designers that we interview. And we would like you to share with us your design story.
Katherine's Design Journey
00:06:40
Speaker
Like when did you start this journey? And why? Why did you start designing?
00:06:52
Speaker
I don't think I can really start when I started designing. It's more like I started creating. I grew up really poor and couldn't afford, there was no such thing as ravelry when I started. I couldn't afford knitting books and crochet books. They came as books. You could get single patterns, but you had to have a knitting shop, which we didn't have one local. So I just started making it up as I go along. So that way I could have a pattern that I liked, I'd see, Oh,
00:07:22
Speaker
I like this. I'm going to try to make it. I'll smarter you. And from there, I had emailed interweave knits, tried to publish a book. Didn't get that far.
00:07:38
Speaker
I'm hearing you, honey. Frustrated author here. I'm hearing you. She can ride out that storm with you right there. Not a friendly world. I just never got that far. I was 16 at the time. I had other priorities.
00:08:00
Speaker
that you were that young. That's very interesting. At 16, isn't that awesome? Awesome. So then I just started doing it all by myself. 16. Yeah. It does sometimes become a solo endeavor, doesn't it? Depending on your location and your group of friends, it becomes solo. It really is. I've been there. I am the weird one in the group of friends that are local. Gotcha.
00:08:29
Speaker
They tease me when I bring my yarn to a bar. Silly people. I mean, apparently they don't realize that yarn can go everywhere and it's a travel, you know, it's a portable hobby. And it's lightweight, you know, it's not like dragging a dungeon and dragons border on with you or anything, you know. Oh my god, right? Keeps your hands busy so that you're not, you know, doing something stupid and yeah.
00:08:55
Speaker
It's true. So what was it that you first created or decided you were going to do for yourself? I made a couple of sweaters for myself. One of them had these really cool bell sleeves that are all lace. I don't have it anymore, but it was done in like a buccal yarn from Joanne back when they used to have those giant balls of them.
00:09:25
Speaker
I'm trying to make a tooth pop out of some of that. I worked that I have to recreate it. It's on my list of things to do. I have the art for it and everything. Oh, that's fun. You can you you're gonna be able to recreate it. I would love to see it. I think so. I'm gonna make it for my daughter. We'll see how it goes.
00:09:43
Speaker
Oh, she'll love that. I know, right? They literally had sleeves that were like huge. They're probably 10 inches around. No, not 10 inches, but 10 inches long. Yeah. But that's really, really, there's a couple of things I've seen on YouTube where they've made those with the real big bell sleeves. In fact, I just designed a wedding dress that had the big flare sleeve at the bottom.
00:10:08
Speaker
because it was kind of a medieval princess, kind of a, what did I call it? Something meets something else. Yeah. Anyway, it was before me. Yeah. Yeah. It was super interesting, but the sleeve was just this huge, very medieval. Did it go all the way to the floor?
00:10:26
Speaker
The sleeve? No. We talked about that, but she didn't want that. She would only let me have so much freedom. Both brides. Well, look, trying to trip over a dress and the sleeves, I'd say no to because me, I would have fallen on my face with the sleeves and the dress. Let's be real. One of the pictures. They definitely would have ended up in the cake a few times. I bet.
00:10:51
Speaker
She actually rolled them up and had somebody hold one of them so she could cut the cut. Yeah, that would have been me. That would have been me. I would have been like tucking it or something. It was very cute. Yeah, it wouldn't have been pretty. So your sleeve and your sweater. That's exciting. So that was one of your first design, your very first. Now, and they were all wearables, huh? Yes. So my question becomes which craft was it? Was it knit or crochet?
00:11:17
Speaker
This was knit. I never crocheted a garment until I started testing. Really? Yes. My first crocheted garment was the playful bobbles tea that I did for Tara. All right. Okay. That's a new thing I learned. See, you learn something new about your friends every day. Every day. But I love that being said, I made a lot of blankets.
00:11:42
Speaker
Right. Blankets are a thing. Flat and straight. That's so easy. I do that often. So I'm really, I was really impressed about your why. You know, you just took it upon yourself to do it yourself because you had to. I love that. Talk about where there's a will, there's a way, huh? Always. And then there's a few of the patterns. I did a Aaron sweater for my dad.
00:12:08
Speaker
That was from a book, actually. But then I did a smaller version, a not pediatric, wow, a children's version. You're not a worker. Occupational hazard. Occupational hazard. Oops.
00:12:23
Speaker
I heard my two brothers and then I recreated it again. It would have been 15 years later for my son and made another one for my daughter. Oh my gosh. It was an old faithful pattern, eh? That's exciting. Do you still have that pattern? Nope. I don't think it's ever written down. Oh my gosh. You should do that sometime. It's a great pattern. I would love to see those. Do you have pictures?
00:12:54
Speaker
On your Instagram, not on me. No, not on that one. You guys look for dad on your Instagram? I thought you did. I have dads. I don't have the kids' version. Okay. Oh, okay. I posted dads as one of the first sweaters I've ever knit. I will have to look that up. Cool. Okay, Tiff. You're up, baby girl. All right. So who do you typically stitch for? Crochet or knit?
Designs for Family and Size Inclusivity
00:13:20
Speaker
And then who do you typically design for?
00:13:25
Speaker
So I stitch for my children. My children are super stitch worthy. They get so excited when I finish anything. And then they'll wear it all over the place. And then they get excited. Tara loves to be. I love that. My daughter likes to be sassy for all the photos. My youngest will snuggle the yarn as soon as we get it in the mail, knowing it's his.
00:13:52
Speaker
So most of my designs when I started publishing were for my children, but they don't do very well. So I started designing for myself. Yeah, the kids patterns don't seem to do as well. Yeah, you wouldn't think you think that kids patterns would be pretty cool. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:14:13
Speaker
She's got some really cute kids patterns though, because I have to take a look at them. I haven't pattern checked several of her patterns over the years. She's one that let me practice before I actually went public. And I
00:14:26
Speaker
I definitely got a better understanding for knit before I started knitting, which was nice. And then I've been in several of them. I think your mom tested three of them. I think several of them. Yeah. My mom has tested several of your patterns. She did your bubbles and cables sweater for my nephew.
00:14:49
Speaker
and my X's and O's cables. Yup. And she actually loves that cable pattern and put it in a baby blanket for somebody. She made like a square for it. Oh, cool. And you look very confused Miss Sparkle Cored Mater. No, no, I'm just fading it out. I'm fine. Her smoke detector is dying. That's what the beeping is in the background. Oh, how funny. Oh, I hear that. I can't get rid of that one. Sounds like a giant crooked.
00:15:16
Speaker
Yeah, that. So who do you typically design for then? Now I guess it would be more me. More you, more adults kind of thing. For in tandem, though, I specifically am doing design for my mother. Oh, I like it. In tandem is design that we're doing this year, next year. Okay. And the pattern I'm doing is plus size.
00:15:45
Speaker
And it's for my mother specifically. Love it. Cool. Does mom know this? Does mom know this? Yes, she does. She's very excited. I was going to say, I bet she's pumped then. I mean, your mom gets excited about your crafts too. So there's that. Yes, she does. So how many patterns do you have published to date? I think I have 15 total.
00:16:15
Speaker
Right now. Cool. I have eight more though. Three years. I started in 2020. So two years. Yeah. Yeah. Two years since I started publishing them for real. That's what I meant. Like for real, for real publishing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. That's, that's kind of, I have eight more due though, by the end of the year. And you're getting socks. I love it. Well, it's one of them.
00:16:43
Speaker
Yeah, that's one of the patterns she has to work on, so there's that. Good, good, good. All right, so this is one of Denise's favorite questions because she loves hearing the backstory.
Origin of 'Jojo Da Bomb' Handle
00:16:54
Speaker
Where did your handle come from? I really need to start making you ask this question because you love it so much. What is your handle, first of all? My handle is Jojo Da Bomb. Okay. It is J-O-J-O-D-A-B-O-M. So Jojo Da Bomb.
00:17:13
Speaker
I love it. So when I was in middle school, everything was da bomb, you da bomb, she da bomb, whatever. We used to say it all the time. And I started listening to a singer, Jojo. She is an R&B smooth singer from Boston area, which is where I grew up.
00:17:40
Speaker
And I joined a forum about her called JoJo Always and picked the name JoJo the bomb. And I was 13 at the time and it kind of stuck. And it became my name on everything. I used to get mad if somebody had already picked it.
00:18:02
Speaker
Oh yeah. So now it's my, my, my handle. That's who I am is JoJo to bomb. And it has been since I was 13 years ago. I mean, look, I love it. See, I love these stories behind that. They just tell so much. Yeah. Has anyone ever thought it was crazy or asked you where you got it?
00:18:30
Speaker
People used to think that that was my name, that Jojo was my name, or that I was Jo. I'm like, nope, nope. And then I'd explain it and they'd laugh. I understand that. Yeah, you go from Jojo to Catherine and you're like, wait, huh? Where's that connection? Yeah, you can go together at all. Is Jo your nickname? What? Yeah. Right. You can use these people for a minute. It's fun. Oh my gosh. So.
00:19:00
Speaker
That's a great story about a handle. I do appreciate that. So we're going to switch gears a little bit again. So do you knit or crochet other people's designs? And if you do, why? If you don't, why not? Yes, of course. I mean, I love, love, love, love making other people's stuff. They have some of the coolest ways of doing things that I would never have thought of. Right?
00:19:30
Speaker
Like I just did, I did the Riley tee. I can't remember who the designer is. Um, but I was making it for a sample and the way she did the saddle sleeves were beautiful. I've seen, I've seen that tee pattern. It's super simple. And then it's just got like a twisted stitches down the sleeve, but the saddle sleeves were perfect. I've done saddle sleeves for years. Not that way. I love to see a new technique, especially if it's easier.
00:20:01
Speaker
I mean, look, it's great when it actually, you know, it's, it, it brings that to you. And yeah, I agree. It's nice to be able to see something with fresh eyes and find an easier way to do something. So that's a big why I think is because you, you learn so many things from other people. Yeah. And I like the way they explain things differently sometimes. I mean, a lot of my explanations are old school. They're,
00:20:28
Speaker
Oh, honey. Oh, honey, you haven't seen old school till you've seen mine. Oh, I don't know. Some of her writing stuff is that. Remember that little green learn to knit and then learn to crochet books? They were like 29 cents from Coats and Clark. They had orange letters on them. That's where I learned to knit and crochet. That my mom. Moms are fun. Oh, well, yeah.
00:20:58
Speaker
So this is the fun question too because we have had so many different answers and they're so interesting, every one of them. So here it goes. What are the kinds of things that inspire your designs?
00:21:16
Speaker
Like, for instance, a painting or your children or, you know, anything. I'm not gonna put words in your mouth, but I'm just trying to give you an example. This question is super hard, because I honestly, honestly got information from everything. Oh, well that's a perfect answer. So I do a lot of nature. My kids like to hike, and they're gonna be 46ers.
00:21:45
Speaker
which is they'll climb every mountain over 5,000 feet in the Adirondack. So we see a lot of stuff there. I pull from there. Um, my, of cables and bobbles one that was inspiration from like how the Creek looked around rocks. And
00:22:07
Speaker
I got for X's and O's that was playing tic-tac-toe with my kids a hundred times. At least. It's a great reason. Then my latest one, it's called the Aphrodite Tea because it reminds me of the way the togas would fall on the female statues. Yes. I drew inspiration from that and that's how I did the shoulders and it's got a cable across to help it fall better.
00:22:35
Speaker
Oh, I love those stories though. So inspiring to hear that behind the story. It really is. It is for me. We're all artists in our house. You know, my son is a, he's an artist, just period. He went to art school and everything else, and he's a chef and does artsy stuff. And I grew up with a designer. She designed for Vogue, Bridal.
00:22:58
Speaker
Oh, wow. Yeah. And I did a lot of I do a lot of stuff, you know, and my husband is into paints, little military men. I joke and tell him he's going to go up and play upstairs, play with his toys. But I mean, it's Napoleonic. He's a he's a Napoleonic expert and and he does bookbinding. I bought him all these bookbinding tools and he loves that stuff. You know, he's so good at it. And and so we live in an artist's colony. I tell people
00:23:26
Speaker
My living room is literally my studio, okay? I have everything from spinning wheels to looms to yarn to crickets to now I've got this diamond dots thing going on. I mean, it's just everything, you know, I love to create. And I think it's interesting, so interesting to hear the story behind what drives people's creations, especially when they're designing like that.
00:23:51
Speaker
i really do it's fun it's i like i love seeing how people transition stuff like that for you know really nice everybody sees it differently they can take the same exact thing and come up with something the complete opposite it's amazing i love it it's so kind of kind of like tiffy and i know in the
00:24:13
Speaker
world of law enforcement you ask the witness what color was the officer wearing that came to take the report and some of them say blue and some of them say brown and some of them say green and it's the same officer and some of them say he had a color yeah what was there an officer there yeah exactly yeah
00:24:36
Speaker
Yeah, lots of fun. So your turn to. All right.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
00:24:40
Speaker
So have you ever felt like designing wasn't worth it? And if you should quit? And if you did, how did you battle it? Yes, all the time. Posture syndrome. And it lies all the time. Nobody takes anything away from me at this moment. And posture syndrome is a liar. Exactly.
00:25:05
Speaker
I always feel like no one's interested in anything, especially with the new algorithm on Instagram is driving me crazy. Something I would have gotten a hundred likes on. I get four. What? What new algorithm? Not really. It's like 20. It's everything's like 24, 14, nobody seeing anything. I don't wear the, so the new algorithm, the current algorithm.
00:25:28
Speaker
The current algorithm on Instagram is that Instagram is pushing reels still. They've been pushing reels for several months now. If you are not in a reel, it starts pushing your photos, your still photos down so that you're not getting as much engagement.
00:25:48
Speaker
So that's what Facebook did about two years ago, maybe. Yeah. Well, Instagram's finally catching up on that. And it's so sad for myself to be. Well, they're, you know what they're doing. They're competing on tiktok. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
00:26:04
Speaker
Yep. I don't have TikTok. I don't want TikTok. I want nothing to do with TikTok. I'm serious. But I do have a story to tell you, Tiffany, about TikTok. So don't forget to let me tell you that after this recording. It's exciting. Sort of. It's exciting. OK. Well, then we will tell the excitement at another time. Exactly. So how do you battle imposter syndrome then? My wonderful friend. Yeah. Usually.
00:26:34
Speaker
I start feeling really upset. Sorry. And I call Tiff. Or Danny. Or I'll call Kathleen and be like, listen, this is what I did. And this is how stupid I sounded. Just tell me I'm stupid so I can go. So I can start something else stupid. She's really good about pointing out each part that she's so OCD about.
00:27:01
Speaker
It's good to have one OCD friend, but only one. No, we've all got our little moments where we're like, nope, can't let it go. You got to fix it. And it's all different things. Thank goodness. Yeah, we're all different about it. Oh, stop. Yeah, you've got a whole bunch of friends in the design circle, too, that I'm sure that's become a good outlet for you as well. Yeah, but usually I end up turning to Asia in that.
00:27:30
Speaker
Yeah. Well, you know, when you've got your friends, you've got your friends. So exactly. Yeah, but it's hard. So this one is going to be the fun one that I think Denise will enjoy. What other fiber things do you enjoy? Oh, yes, you have to tell it all. Do I enjoy? Um, let's see.
00:27:55
Speaker
Let's go with all of it. I have a giant craft room. Okay. It's not giant, but it's the size of a living room. Yep. That's my living room. Well, I have two living rooms. This is an old house with an addition. The old parlor became my craft room. I have a spinning wheel. I love to spin. I dye my own fleece. I have a whole bunch that I actually cleaned and carded myself from my parents old sheep.
00:28:25
Speaker
I like to sew, I make clothes for my daughter and skirts for myself. I like to dye, hand dye wool. I'm hoping to start my own fiber dyeing business in January-ish. We'll see. Cause I find it lots of fun. I have embroidery in there. I have cross stitching.
00:28:48
Speaker
little bit of everything drops younger version of me drop spindle yep spindle for my I do the drop spindle and the spinning wheel yep oh yeah I can sit her sit and watch her spin all day long what was it you were starting I love out true it's mesmerizer Zen I call it my Zen plying the chain line yes there you go
00:29:14
Speaker
I had never chain plied, everything was double plied until last week. I love chain plying. It's so much faster. It's so mesmerizing. I just go like this. It's automatic. Yep.
00:29:28
Speaker
You get into a groove and there you go. Yep. I would just love to sit and watch you too. That's all I got. Like I don't want to learn how to do it. I'm perfectly content not doing it, but I love watching it. Like it is just so mesmerizing to watch. I think we sat for what? Like a half hour at Rhineback watching them card. Yeah. Something like that.
00:29:50
Speaker
Yeah. I feel like somebody else had a wheel running that we were watching. You mentioned Rhineback a couple of times. I was supposed to go one year, and then my husband's boss decided to hire me as his assistant, and we ran the company together. Yeah. So that was like, I told her, I said, but I'm supposed to go to this thing in New York. And she goes, you're not going to that. She was a horrible person to work for. But anyway.
00:30:17
Speaker
So my friend and I, in Indiana, we started a group called Wish I Were Going to Rhine Back Sweater, M-A-L. And it's a make-along, and you can just join it anytime you want to, and you can make whatever pattern you want to, because we can't go to Rhine Back. But this guy's like, try to put a positive spin on it, right? So it's a textbook group. Yeah, so it's kind of fun. We've got 20 numbers. I think I've seen it a few times. Yeah, that now will be pretty awesome. They pop up.
00:30:43
Speaker
That's me and my friend Sue. Hello, Miss Sue. Yeah. She's my cohort in crime. She's the one that just messaged me, by the way. She is to Sue as you and I are to each other. So, you know. OK. We try to keep each other honest. It's a thing. It is. It's hard, but it's a thing. So how far are you into the dying and spinning and such?
00:31:12
Speaker
Because didn't you just do a new die thing not too long ago? I did. I ran out of yarn, though. So I did just one set. And I was going to do a sock set with the variegated as the mini and a tonal as the big one. Oops. Because nobody ever does that. Right. Right. It's true. I mean, that's the way that it normally runs. So yeah, that seems like a valid thing.
00:31:42
Speaker
So I have to get some more, uh, fingering weight. All I have is DK and bulky. I don't know why about bulky berry yarn. I don't ever use it. I don't either. So when I usually just work with all my hand. Right. When I died.
00:31:59
Speaker
Randy loves it when I say things like that. I'm dying today, honey. It's funny that our husbands and people outside of the fiber industry will just look at us at our word usage and be like, ah, I'm confused. I don't think that means what you think it means.
00:32:18
Speaker
And then we quote Princess Bride over and over again. Yeah, but um right but I'm 100% Yeah, but I only died fiber. I didn't die. I did roving and fiber and stuff like that I didn't I didn't die yarn so and I was pretty successful on Etsy for a while It's been a lot of years since I lived in in the back East in Michigan, but um I
00:32:39
Speaker
I love it and I want to get back to it someday but I live in a very tiny place right now and it does not accommodate any more stuff. With a giant spinning wheel and you know all the fun is that insanity that we run. So are you done with your question sweetie? Yeah.
00:33:01
Speaker
Okay, so this is a fun question, because sometimes they're secrets. And that's kind of fun. But what do you have waiting in the wings?
Upcoming Projects and Events
00:33:12
Speaker
Like, what is your next project or design that you want to start working on? Or do you have a list that you go through? Like, you know, I'm gonna do two a month? Or how do you do that? Well, I have a list. Shocker.
00:33:26
Speaker
No, not really. Next week, next week is the Aphrodite Tea is being released. That's the tunic style. It's based on the old togas. I have a collab coming. Yes, tunic. I have a collab coming with Allie from Explore Knits. Yes, it is. Yeah, the Aphrodite is knit. But I have I have a crocheted one coming in the spring. Yeah.
00:33:53
Speaker
Most of her stuff she tries to do in both crafts. That's exciting. I like that. Just not the socks. Not yet. No. For October, I am planning a sock tober. Cool. And tell us about that. There will be a different Halloween sock every Sunday in October. I'm excited.
00:34:17
Speaker
and they're featuring different indie dyers. So I have Frost and Stitch, Leeroo Cotton, Mezzo Makes, and Dragon Hornets. Oh, I love Dragon Hornets. Love those. Oh, she's so good. That's so beautiful. I'm sus. Right? And then, of course, there's the in tandem sign that's coming next year. Hmm. I like that name. Which is going to be a fun little, it's going to be a fun little
00:34:42
Speaker
production, not production, but publication between a whole bunch of designers. We got big plans for it. It's going to be awesome. Does that have Trish Harnacki in it? Yep.
00:34:53
Speaker
Okay, that's why I thought I'd heard of that before you had you had good catch I try sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't you know what i'm saying? Well this time it worked how about that? So i'm curious about the socks can you talk about what they're gonna look like or what they're like when you say featured are we talking like
00:35:17
Speaker
Are we talking colors or are we talking patterns or are we talking textures or what are we talking? Like spider webs across the feet or what? Ew. Because I can see you making cables on socks to look like spider webs, I'm just saying. Listen, there's no cables in any of these socks. I'm shocked. I don't know what's going on with me, but there are none. I'm not sure what's going on with you either. What's real? Taking a cable break, that's what you're doing.
00:35:44
Speaker
Each one of them is featuring different techniques. Yep. There's going to be a toe up one. There's going to be three top down ones. One's going to be an afterthought heel. One's a short row heel. One's a heel flap. One's a shorty. And they all are Halloween.
00:36:07
Speaker
I thought heels just sounds scary because you have to cut your knitting. Like it's just like stinking. I can't even, I can't even fathom the thought. Me either. No, no, no. I'm going to show us, I'm going to do a cheater way so that way you don't have to cut your knitting. We love her. I mean, look, if it does not involve taking scissors to a live project, I'm in because you know. Now here's the next question. Can your beginner sister start any of that stuff?
00:36:35
Speaker
because you know the beginner's sister has no techniques. I told you, it's way easier because you just knit the tube. That's what everybody says. I've never tried it. I haven't either. I just watched somebody cut their sock not too long ago.
00:36:56
Speaker
on there alive. And I was like, I sat there and I like almost passed out from anxiety. Gave you heart palpitations. I did like the anxiety was too much for me. I was like, I can't do this. This is just I can't. So clearly you favor socks behind cables. Do you have a favorite technique? Uh, no, it changes everything. I'm the weird person who has
00:37:24
Speaker
a toe up going on right now on nine inch and I have these ones that I'm working on which are shorties and they're on double pointed. I have two at a time going right now. I have a single going using magic glue. I do the same thing. And they're all top down bottom up this switch way every way. Change with the wind. Yeah, it makes it interesting, right? It's never boring.
00:37:51
Speaker
It's a great way to change it up, but to keep coming with the same thing. Correct. Exactly. I never said anything about being boring. Let's clarify. Nothing on this chaos train is boring. Let's be clear. No, and we're being very mellow tonight. I want you to know this. We are being very mellow tonight. We are being very mellow tonight. The moon is waning now, so we're good.
00:38:12
Speaker
Yeah, full moon is past, so thank goodness for small blessing. I should tell you about my husband. What are you talking about? It's three days before and three days after. I know, but I'm trying to live in a happy little world where we're in a bubble right now of our chaos train where the moon is not bothering us.
00:38:30
Speaker
As the nurse and the person that used to work at the psych wards with people. Yeah. And my husband, the cop was just like, ready to. Oh, yesterday was horrible. You didn't want to talk about it. So I get it. I mean, look, it's a thing. Okay. So what's your favorite heel? My, I think the easiest heel for me is the short row heel.
00:38:58
Speaker
But I like the way the heel flaps and gusset fit the best. And you know what's funny though? That is almost subjective when you ask somebody, which heel do you like the best? If they knit the socks for themselves, it's very subjective because it's whatever fits them. I have a very narrow heel. I have tiny little feet and a very narrow heel. And the flap just literally comes right off my foot every time. The gusset and the flap. It just is horrible. But when I found the other, the fish lips,
00:39:27
Speaker
uh heal. I literally it saved my life and it saved me from never wanting I was at the point where I didn't want to make socks anymore because it was such a waste because I couldn't wear them because it was they were always falling down in my shoes and crumpling out in the middle of your feet and you hate that so that really is quite subjective I think I mean that's just my opinion. I mean I can see it being subjective which was part of why I asked the question is because I'm trying to you know
00:39:51
Speaker
Hi beginner knitter want to learn that weird things like that. I also find it depends on what shoes you have on. Yes. Yeah, that's a thing. Certain heels are better for like my combat boots. I don't want to wear my heel flaps because they get pulled down. They do. Yeah, exactly. All the time.
00:40:10
Speaker
And you can't wear shorties in combat boots. Oh gosh. I mean, it ends up rubbing after a while and it gets uncomfortable. Yeah, it's just not a good thing. I used to wear, I used to wear shorties with my combat boots, but never when we rode the motorcycle, it was always, I always wear tall socks when we rode the motorcycle. Yeah. Something goes over. Pretty sure I have a scar on the back of my heel from wearing shorties too much with my combat boots. Oh yeah. Yeah. That, that would be,
00:40:39
Speaker
A very viable thing to happen. That would be a thing. Very much so. So besides socks, what's your favorite thing to make? Yeah. Probably sweaters. I really like to just reform a sweater. I did for ad for one of my advent this year, I got Leeroo Cotton's advent in the linen space, which is so nice.
00:41:06
Speaker
It's a bamboo linen. Yes. Bamboo linen blend. I preformed a raglan style sweater. No, it will never be published, but it was so much fun. Yeah. And very soft and drapey. Perfect springtime sweater. I mean, it's going to be a great transition sweater here before much longer because you're going to start cooling off before long. I wish we would.
00:41:31
Speaker
She's from the Anorondas. You can come live where I live. I mean, the wind hurts my face here. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I miss, I actually, I never thought I'd hear myself say these words out loud, but I really miss the Chicago area because there are actually four seasons out here. There's two and a half, kind of, sort of. I think I'm glad we got that on recording for a podcast so that we can play that back for you at another time. Thank you very much, Missy.
00:41:59
Speaker
I mean, let me ask her this last question, then you can have your. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So this one is kind of fun, too, because it's it it just.
00:42:13
Speaker
It speaks to so many different levels of where people are at when they get started designing and what they can share with other people. But what kind of advice would you have for a budding designer? Somebody that wants to break into the design field. So I'm going to give the advice that was given to me when I was too scared to start.
00:42:38
Speaker
Stephanie Aaron, who was one of the first people I tested for said, just do it. Just jump in. Don't be scared. Just do it. She said that you have a voice. It's worth hearing. Jump right in. So that's my advice. And if you have any questions, there are so many designers that even though you're scared to ask and you think, oh, they're not going to want to share their secrets, they're totally obsessed with sharing their secrets.
00:43:07
Speaker
Wow, that's good because it's not a secret. They just want to help. They want everybody to succeed. That's good. The best part of this community. Yeah. I love the support in this community. It really is just a huge thing and makes everything so much better. Yep. Totally different than a lot of the world I've worked in before. It's a very, very helping community.
00:43:28
Speaker
Yeah, it really is. And, you know, you make friends all the way across the, you know, I've got both of y'all on either side of the coast and, you know, Hey, I'm feeling stupid at the moment. Can one of you help me with my socks? Cause I don't know what I'm doing. You know, but what's great.
00:43:47
Speaker
Here's the one thing I like about the helping community is there are generally people that can help you that are at different levels also. So you get a different kind of help from them, which is so great because you may not need this person's over here, but you go and ask somebody else that's maybe several levels above that and they just expound this wisdom to you and you're like in awe, you know? Sometimes you soak it up like a sponge and sometimes you just sit there mind blown and you go, huh?
00:44:17
Speaker
And you do that. All right. I know. I love this community. I really do. Which is why we do this. I've had to go back to people because I'm like, okay, so try that again now that I understand a little bit more. Right? Exactly. I didn't understand it the first three times, but maybe I'll understand it this time. Can we try again?
00:44:37
Speaker
But life is a process, and so is creativity, I think. It really is. Everybody's at a different part in their journey. The journeys are so much fun. Yeah, it's so great. I really love it. And even how the journeys can run parallel with each other and how we can all participate in each other's journeys. Very much so. Makes it a lot of fun.
00:44:59
Speaker
You know, like listening to, you know, you going, okay, Hey, I'm having the issues counting with this project. And then I can hear you on next week when, you know, Hey, you got your counting, right? Let's go. And, you know, when I see it done, I keep it like, Hey, I remember when you started that or, and when you couldn't count. Yeah. Whenever I finished these socks from, you know, I don't know where, you know, you guys can be like, Hey, you look, you finally finished. Yeah. And you could wear them.
00:45:24
Speaker
I can wear them. Just in time to start on the next sock that I sent you. Yeah, exactly. Keep her going. You keep her going. Oh, she does. There's there's plenty of yarn around here somewhere from her. And she's the reason I have nine inch serks was because that was part of my Christmas present. She got me into the sock knitting was sought with nine inch serks and
00:45:46
Speaker
A lot of love. Yeah, exactly. Well, you got one more question, dearie. Well, actually, I have two. Oh, cool. OK. Because I'm going to add one because Miss Creative over here has all the things. So the sparkle coordinator and I have done a couple of talks on tool time.
Favorite Crafting Tools
00:46:08
Speaker
And it's all of our favorite tool craft tools and that kind of thing. The most recent one.
00:46:16
Speaker
that will have been published by this point was like swifts and yarn ball, you know, yarn ball winders. My no step in I picked up when we were on our trip and just like all sorts of things. What is your one tool besides your needles and your yarn that you cannot do without? It doesn't necessarily have to be for making, but what is your favorite tool that you could not do without?
00:46:49
Speaker
I mean, it would definitely be my yarn winder. I have this huge industrial yarn winder. Like it's amazing. I got it on Amazon for like 60 or 50 bucks. Oh my gosh. And it's all metal and it connects to the thing. Like it's great. Wow. I could not do without that. And it makes you a vital answer.
00:47:15
Speaker
yeah that seems like a viable answer pretty sure about herself oh yeah clearly she's tried to do without it before right yeah my nitpicks one broke i was going to buy a new one it was how many how many did you break before you finally got the metal one that was what i was gonna ask four oh i was not expecting that okay
00:47:42
Speaker
Well, there you go. I sold mine out. I pulled my nitpicks one out of storage and it came out of storage broken. And I was like, well, then, and that's when I went step in and then my husband blessed me with a ball winder for, for my birthday. So yeah, I did pretty good with that one. Very cool. So funny. All right. Darling beard around this out. Where can the listeners find you?
Where to Find Katherine Online
00:48:08
Speaker
I'm most active on Instagram under jojo da bomb. That's J O J O D A B O N. I am on Etsy is jojo da bombs crafts and Facebook is jojo da bombs crafts and Ravelry and just jojo da bomb and Etsy and Ravelry is where I sell my patterns. Are you still on Lovecraft?
00:48:31
Speaker
Are you trying to get on? I am. I forgot. It's Joe Joe Obama on there, too. You know what's really sad? I think I sell the most on Lovecraft. Oh, no. That's funny. I forgot it. I was like, this is my best child who's the quietest. Oh, I forgot.
00:48:54
Speaker
I mean, look, that's not a valid it. That's not an invalid. Uh, you know, no, it's not. Yeah. It's the one that I'll randomly pop up in my email. You've just got another jam. I'm like, Oh, I get my revelry royalty checks. And I'm like, really? I'm still getting those Amazon, Amazon. I'm like, no, Amazon. Nice.
00:49:19
Speaker
Yeah, that's not money. You know, there were 79 cents helps everywhere. Yeah. That's funny. Yeah. I was like, hang on. I think I'm missing one. Cause I couldn't remember if you were on a, I mean, I thought it was Lovecraft. I couldn't remember what your other one was. So I was thinking I kept him at the bottom of all my patterns. Yeah. That's true. And I'm pretty sure they're in your bio too. So probably yeah. Good deal. And maybe on her Instagram.
00:49:47
Speaker
Yeah, I have linked tree on the Instagram. Good deal. So well, do you have any other words of wisdom for makers or designers? Dearly, darling, dear, dear, darling. No, just have fun with it. That's the most important thing. It is. I love that. Enjoy what you're doing. And if you don't like it, put it in the frog pile.
00:50:13
Speaker
See what this says? My shirt says, do what you love. And on the back of it, I'm going to put, love what you do. I love it. I love it. I mean, that seems pretty accurate for all the things we do. Yep. Wow, I got it. Well, this didn't feel like as chaotic of a trip as we thought it was going to be. Well, I mean, we started off a little rocky, but you know.
00:50:39
Speaker
It's, it's, we, we, we held it together. We usually smooth it out in the middle, you know? Yeah. We usually smooth it out and come back around to, you know, sanity somewhere in the middle. And yeah, here we are. So, well, if you guys, we will have Catherine's links in the show notes so that y'all can head her up. She's got quite a few beautiful patterns for adults and kids. When is, when did you say the Aphrodite releases? Next week.
00:51:10
Speaker
Yep. It would be late mid August. Mid August. Okay. So we're recording this just before mid August. So if by the time this publishes, it will be released. So you guys can go snatch up a copy of that and see all the beautiful photos on Instagram and all the things. So, and keep an eye out first October, because they go on pre-sale at the end of September. I'm excited for that one. That one's going to be a lot of fun. I know you've been excited for that for quite a while. And you've been planning that particular project.
00:51:40
Speaker
It's his last rhyme back last year. Yeah, since last fall. Yeah, she's the girl that walks around knitting everywhere we go. I love it. And that's what it is. So yep, yep, yep. Wow. Those are the ones that get somewhere. I mean, look, she manages to complete so much stuff and knit everywhere that I just sit there in awe of her. Because like half the time, I can't even find the energy to pick up a knitting needle, much less walk and knit.
00:52:11
Speaker
Although she was very proud of me because I went to a car show with my husband a couple months ago and I actually knit a dishcloth while we walked around the car show. Oh, silly. And several of the other wives were laughing at me and going, that's really smart. And I was like, look, I have to have a way to entertain myself through all of this mess somehow. And they just laughed at me.
00:52:33
Speaker
We were all kind of commiserating as we were walking around and they're like, oh, hey, you have got, you know, as we'd make couple more passes and pass each other. And they're like, hey, you're making good progress. And I'm like, I mean, stops to look at every third car. I'm going to make a, you know, two dishcloths at this rate. That's great. All right. Well, thank you for being, for joining us, Catherine. It was so good meeting you. Of course.
00:52:59
Speaker
And I can't wait for me to as well, Denise. You can't wait for Sucktober and all the fun that that's going to bring because you guys are really going to love Sucktober. Like you really need to get in on it. It's going to be great. All right. All clean and all socks. I mean, those are your two favorite things right there. Those are your two favorite things right there. That and all the yarn you're going to be using because you love all your yarners, like all the yarn you're using. So that's going to be
00:53:30
Speaker
I'm not familiar with the basis that Mezzo has, but I know the other three have got some really beautiful stuff. Yes, they do. Are you using the sock from Krista and the vegan sock from Kathleen? Yep. Nice. All right. Well, I think it's about pumpkin time for all of us, because this is a rather late recording. Yep.
00:53:58
Speaker
Thank you all for joining us. You may now undo your seat belts or turn your tray tables and you know, arm rested or upright in full positions. And you may deboard the chaos train now. Even if it wasn't quite as chaotic as we thought it would be. Well, I mean, look, it's, it's, that's pretty far for the course. We start chaotic. We need the seat belts and then we just kind of, you know, like she said, we level off and we hit our stride. We get the elevation just right. Yeah. We hit and we miss all the turbulence at that point. But it's a train. So, you know, whatever.
00:54:28
Speaker
I mean, magic happens. That's what creativity is, isn't it? It is. Creativity is magic. I will see you fine ladies somewhere else. Yes, ma'am. Another time, another place. Thanks. Love y'all. We appreciate you. Bye-bye. Bye. Join Tiffany and Denise next time as they explore what a good pattern looks like from a maker's point of view.
00:55:00
Speaker
Don't forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen and join the conversation in our Ravelry or Facebook groups. For show notes or knit tech editing and related services, please visit my website at arcticedits.com. To inquire about crochet tech editing and other services Tiffany provides, please go to wootgraphs.com.