Podcast - Only one more series
A beautiful project on the needles and a podcast on the ears? We think that's great! And that's why we thought about starting a podcast ourselves. Since 2020, we have been inviting a number of manufacturers, designers and other knitters to talk to us about yarns, fibers, knitting projects and knitting plans.
Some of you may remember that three years ago Marisa's youngest daughter was born with Down syndrome. Since then, this topic has accompanied us in a completely different way at Maschenfein.
Since October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, we decided to produce a special episode of our podcast. That's why this episode is not about knitting, but about language support for children with trisomy 21. The guest is speech therapist Diana Bangratz from Cologne, who specializes in the topic. In conversation with Marisa, she tells us how she came to her work, what Early Reading is all about, and why she shares insights into her everyday work on Instagram. We were very happy to talk to her and are looking forward to your feedback!
She's practically a veteran of the DIY blogger scene: Rosa P. At first she was known for her sewing tutorials, which provide an uncomplicated handle on the closet. In the meantime, however, her focus is on knitting - and that is also our great fortune. After all, she has been enriching our knitting world with great pattern and designs ever since.
We are very happy that Rike aka Rosa P. is now a guest on "Just one more row". In a conversation with Marisa, she talks about her beginnings in the blogging world, her daily routine, her enthusiasm for knitting and how a Rosa P. design is created in the first place.
You've asked so many times - and now it's finally time: This episode marks the start of the second season of our podcast "Just one more row".
To kick things off, we've brought Jule in front of the mic this time, along with Marisa and Sandra. She has been joining our backend and support team for a year now. But not only that: She also designs her own tutorials. In this episode, she tells us how that started and what her path to Maschenfein was like.
The three also talk about their summer projects, the current Maschenfein x SANDNES Knit Along, and what's new in the Maschenfein store.
For the third time we are hosting a Mystery Knitalong for Mother's Day. This year we want to knit with you the shawl Carla, a beautiful triangle shawl designed by Sandra. Carla is just as beautiful as her predecessors, but of course quite different 😉.
In this episode, Marisa and Sandra talk more about the shawl, how the knitalong will go, and what else is on their minds knitting-wise.
Around 16,500 visitors came to h+h in 2019, probably the world's best-known trade fair in the textile and creative industries. How many were there in 2020? Unfortunately none -
the trade fair was cancelled due to the corona pandemic. This year, the h+h cologne will take place again. However, digitally, because due to the still difficult situation, the organizers are breaking new ground. Or as trade fair director Katrin Schön will put it in our podcast: "The creative industry is living up to its name." We are delighted that Katrin has taken time for our podcast. Together with Marisa, she looks back on last year and the cancellation of h+h, but talks all the more enthusiastically about this year's concept.
It all started with the desire to actually finish the knitting projects she had started. Lia Lykke's Instagram account now has almost 50,000 followers. But the heart and mind behind it is still Julia Löcker from Rostock. In the meantime, she also designs her own pattern and is our window into the Scandinavian knitting world. She and we benefit from her Danish roots and her contacts in the Nordic knitting scene.
She told us about the beginnings of her "knitting career", how well her profession and her hobby fit together and how the names of the Danish yarns are pronounced. We hope you enjoy listening!
One of our personal highlights last year - besides the many beautiful yarns and designs - was our cooperation with Franziska Klee. The Leipzig-based fair fashion label handcrafts high-quality bags from natural leather. Head and heart behind it is namesake Franziska Klee. Marisa has been following her work for a long time - and last year simply dared to ask if a cooperation with Maschenfein would be possible. The goal: high-quality accessories for knitters. In this episode, Franziska tells us how her company was actually founded, what it was like to develop a needle bag, and how she and her husband Flo organize themselves. Flo also works for Franziska Klee. We hope you enjoy listening!
They're hardly here when they're gone: we're talking about the wonderful magazines and books from Laine Verlag in Finland. For many, they are more than "just" a knitting magazine or book. Instead, they convey an entire attitude to life. For our podcast "Just one more series", we spoke to one of the founders: Sini Kramer teamed up with her friend Jonna in 2015 to publish a magazine that they had previously missed on the market. The rest is history.
In this episode, Sini gives us a peek behind the Laine scenes and takes us into the wonderful world of the Finnish publishing house. She tells us about the beginnings and the development and why they now also publish books away from knitting. Despite minor difficulties with the internet connection, we are very happy that this interview worked out and hope you enjoy listening!
What a year! 2020 will stay in our memories for a long time. So much happened - and there was also a lot going on at Maschenfein. For a little retrospective, Marisa, Sandra and Sophia sat down virtually and tell us in this episode about Christmas in Lockdown, their favorite yarns this year, which project they particularly enjoyed, what they are currently working on and what's coming up in 2021. Because there are many plans! How about a virtual knitting meeting, for example? We are currently working on this idea and will keep you posted! Until then, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode and wish you all the best for 2021!
Their designs are often recognized at first sight: Fluffy, oversize and knitted with heavy needles - that must be from Lotilda! When we planned a podcast episode on the topic of mohair, it was quickly clear that we would like to invite Tanja - the brains behind Lotilda. And to our great luck she accepted!
In the end, it didn't just become a conversation about the fiber that gives our knits a proper cuddle factor. Instead, it also became quite personal. Tanja told us how she came to write knitting pattern, what hurdles there are sometimes and what she is currently working on.
It is one of the noblest fibers we can knit: Cashmere. Since a few months the pure cashmere qualities of Pascuali are even certified organic. But how does a ball of cashmere actually end up on our needles? In this episode, we travel to Mongolia, then on to Switzerland and finally to Italy, where the yarn is spun and dyed.
Paul also tells us about the impact of the Corona pandemic on hand-knitting yarns like Pascuali's and what the plans are for 2021.
Socks are probably among the most knitted garments - and sometimes have a somewhat dusty image. The crown collection from Regia proves that this is not true. The sock wool from the house of Schachenmayr relies on noble materials and still meets many requirements for a sock yarn.
For this installment of our Advent series, we invited Stefanie Biendel. She has worked for Schachenmayr for 30 years and knows a lot about the history of the company. She explained to us how Schachenmayr and Regia are connected and how the Premium yarns - also known as "crown yarns" - were created a few years ago. Also Maschenfein plays a small role there...
Advent, Advent - the first little light burns! Of course also at Maschenfein. And what would Advent be - as unusual as it may be this year - without a little Advent calendar? That's what we thought, too, and that's why we open a little door for you every Sunday. Behind it is a fresh episode of "Just one more row". We start with Marisa and Sandra. They talk about the technical changes that are going on in the background, about the Christmas shawl that will be published at the beginning of December and give you lots of ideas what you can wish for Christmas.
On October 1, Maschenfein got another new member. This time not in the form of yarns, but in the form of a new team member: Sophia strengthens the round since then as editorial management. She takes care of the blog and supports Marisa among other things at the Saturday coffee. A big project on her agenda: the relaunch of the newsletter. In conversation with Marisa, Sophia tells us how she got in touch with Maschenfein, how she got into knitting in the first place, and what she currently has on her needles (a lot) and what's still on her list (a lot more).
The yarns from ITO Yarn have been available in the Maschenfeinshop for a long time. Nevertheless, they remain a speciality: After all, they bring Japanese traditions such as working with paper yarns into our world of knitting.
In this episode, we talk to Tanja Lay from ITO. She has always been fascinated by Japanese design and finally decided to work with Japanese spinners and dyers to bring these yarns to Germany. The results: Sensai, Shio, Karai and and. In this episode you will learn more about the characteristics of the individual yarns, new ideas from ITO and how embroidering knits works - of course with embroidery yarn from Japan itself.
In our theme month on multicolored knitting we would like to give you of course also something with "on the ears". When it comes to knitting with multiple colors and the desire for a real Norwegian sweater, we of course had to ask Sophia from Stichfest as a guest. The designer and blogger has Norwegian roots and tells us in this episode a lot about the technique, her first steps in (multicolored) knitting, which yarns are actually suitable for it, how to wash the knits properly and and and. We hope you enjoy listening!
After the summer break we talk about the projects we have chained and about what we have on the needles. And we tell about news around Maschenfein.
In this episode, we are joined by Berlin-based knitwear designer Christiane from ChrisBerlin. We talk about her path to knitwear design and how she discovered her passion for knitwear design. Today, Chris practices her actual main profession part-time. The rest of the time she runs her label ChrisBerlin and provides us with beautiful, knitting pattern, mostly for sweaters and cardigans. Why there are so few scarves, she also tells in the podcast.
The Pascuali company is known for the highest quality natural yarns. Here at Maschenfein we carry all the beautiful Pascuali yarns from Bayak, Cumbria, Sole, to Nepal, Cashmere 6/28, Alpaca Fino... you can always find all these yarns and more in our books and tutorials too.
Sustainable luxury fibers are Pascuali's absolute specialty, including innovative, vegan fibers such as bamboo, corn or even nettle, which we find, for example, in the yarn "Nepal", but also extremely rare fibers from musk ox or (and we are also talking about this) the fibers of vicuñas, of which there are only a few 100e kilos a year at all and at Pascuali only 5kg annually.
In our conversation, Paul tells us how he first visited sheep farms in Argentina just over 10 years ago and came to Germany with suitcases full of wool. You can feel his passion for fibers and his strong motivation to support smaller farms and farmers in economically less well-off countries. It is also important to him to really accompany the entire production process behind it transparently and to keep learning.
We talk about many, many topics around Pascuali's yarns and production processes such as the latest organic certification of the cashmere qualities and what this has to do with the spread of the desert in Mongolia. Paul also tells us what exactly recycled cashmere yarns are all about. And we talk about the development of the new yarn "Balayage".
In our first Maschenfeinen podcast episode, we talk about how Sandra went from being a silent reader to becoming Maschenfein 's first permanent employee.