This month our focus is on all things woolly for Wovember.

The main items discussed this episode are:

• the winner of our giveaway from Episode 7. Thanks to everyone who entered a review on iTunes or Stitcher and to those who took the trouble to give me feedback - positive and negative - it all makes me better, right?
• The Knitting & Stitching Show in the RDS
• "Olann And" a new magazine about Fibre and Craft in Ireland
• Wovember - what is it?
• An interview with Diarmuid Commins, the man behind "S-Twist Wool"

• Short Row Knits and
• Dovestone Hills

First I met with Carol to find out about her life, her design process and her future plans.

During this interview, Carol or I mention:

• A Playful Day podcast
• Contemporary Irish Knits
• Doddy ball
• Two Irish designers in Knitty Winter 2007: Fair Isle Rapids by Kieran Foley
• Patterns published by Carol in 2015 so far (I counted 39 - it's actually 42!!)
• Dragon Flames pattern and blogging about the design process
• La Leche League
• Carol's Classes with Craftsy: Short Rows (free), Celtic Cables, Sweater Surgery and Essential Short Row Techniques.
• Pin-up Queen sweater pattern designed by Annie Modesitt in the first Stitch and Bitch book
• Baa Ram Ewe yarn shop in Yorkshire
• Titus Fingering weight Yarn
• Dovestone DK weight yarn

• Ravi sweater pattern design by Carol
• Mithral  sweater pattern design by Carol and the related KAL
• Joeli's Kitchen Blog
• Essentialism by Greg McKeon (erroneously referred to as George in the audio!)
• This Is Knit's Irish Yarn Club 2016  featuring three Ireland-based dyers: Dublin Dye Company who are collaborating with Donegal Yarns, Townhouse Yarns and Hedgehog Fibres.

Afterwards, we headed over to in Dublin City Centre's Powerscourt Townhouse to meet Carol's fans for a book signing in This Is Knit. I chat with

• Hilser as she talks about planning to make Tamarindo in "Trinity" from Townhouse Yarns
• Ann and her Ravi (haven't been able to track down Ann online)
• vonniemagoo talks about wanting to make Estrella from Short Row Knits, as well as previously making Centrique shawl and Captiva Wrap
• Deirdre (a.k.a. Gansai on Ravelry) and Mary discuss trying on the samples and taking part in the Mithral KAL

During the fashion show the following patterns are mentioned:

• Chiroppo ball
• Frio hat 

• Toro cardigan
• Jimenez sweater
• Zapote baby cardigan
• Estrella cardigan
• Esquillino cowl from Dovestone Hills
• Palatino hat

• Viminal from Dovestone Hills

This episode has been in the works since back in May when Claire and I went down to the Sheep's Head Yarn Festival. We stopped off in Cork City to have lunch with Evin O'Keefe, the person behind Irish publishing company, Anchor and Bee.

We met Evin at her favourite restaurant Fenn's Quay, which has been awarded "Best Restaurant in Cork" in the Munster Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards in 2015.

We chat with Evin about two craft books she's recently published and her future plans for Anchor and Bee.

The following day we met Sara Brietenfeldt at the Sheep's Head Yarn Festival. You heard most of this interview in Episode 6 but I held on to some that was more relevant for the book "These Islands" which she worked on with Evin.

More recently, I met with Suzanne and Cathy. Suzanne worked with Evin on the books and Suzanne and Cathy share a blog "Fibre Friends".

Our craft beer focus for Episode 7 is Mountain Man Brewing. I met Phil and Sue Cullen to chat about their beers and especially what they were offering punters at the Irish Craft Beer Festival. While we didn't mention if in or chat, it was through Sue that I first met Evin.

And we've got a giveaway this episode! We'll be giving away Evin's books "Bake, Knit, Sew" and "These Islands" as well as a bag from Smudge Yarns and a skein of Smudge Yarns' Superwash BFL Sock called "Skibereen" colourway.

To be in with a chance to win this all you have to do is:

1. Leave a review for Blasta Podcast on either iTunes or Stitcher.
2. Leave a comment in the show-notes to say where you have left your reivew.
3. Do this before the end of September.

I'll announce in Episode 9 who the winner is of this prize.

Links to items also mentioned in this episode:

• Zwartbles sheep and yarn from Zwartbles Ireland
• South Africa's law prohibiting mulesing of merino
• Ms Gusset and Ton of Wool
• Platonic solids
• New type of pentagon creates new mathematical tile
• Mathematician, Roger Penrose and Penrose tiling
• Prints showing mathematical tiling by M.C. Escher
• Mathematician, Daina Taimina and her book Crocheting Adventures with Hyberbolic Planes
• Crochet Coral Reef and the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Science Gallery, Dublin

As promised this is the second part of our visit to the Sheep's Head Yarn Festival in May. In the first part, we met the organiser, Niamh Cooper, and some of the workshop teachers.

Another aspect of the Sheep's Head Yarn Festival was the Market Hall which took place in Kilcrohane Community Hall.

So, this episode brings you the chats we had with some of the vendors:

• Kathleen McCarthy who was selling hand-knits
• Fiona Waters of Green Elephant Hand Dyed Yarns with her husband Ciaran.
• Sara Breitenfeldt of Smudge Yarns
• Caroline and Johnny Niland of Life In The Long Grass

I apologise in advance for the quality of the audio in our first interview with Kathleen. We chatted with her in The Old Creamery after the meet & greet but there was a lot of background noise and I've played with it a lot but it's still quite difficult to hear. Just let it wash over you and pretend you're eavesdropping!

Also, Happy Congratulations to Sara on her recent engagement to Justin!

To wrap up the episode I chatted with Greg who is a professional beer taster and who has recently started brewing his own craft beer.

Below are some visuals and links of what was discussed the interviews.

Kathleen McCarthy

• The Yarn Festival in Skipton mentioned is Yarndale
• Belinda Harris Reid
• Dunmanway Library and in particular the window display featuring a bicycle

Green Elephant Hand Dyed Yarns

• Green Elephant Hand Dyed Yarns Facebook page
• Green Elephant Crochet Facebook page

• Colourway "Child's Play" described by Ciaran as reminding him of a Jackson Pollock painting

• Winnie's Craft Cafe in Booterstown
• "Wibbly Wobbly Wonder" Colourway as named by Dearbhla via Instagram
• "Pink Panther" Colourway

Smudge Yarns

• Germans in Wisconsin
• Sara's Kickstarter campaign as reported in Irish National Press
• Link to Smudge Yarns Etsy page
• "These Islands: Knits from Ireland, Britain and Scotland" book published by Anchor and Bee
• Beer Ireland - professional craft brewers association
  

  

  "Skibbereen" colourway purchased by Dearbhla

  

  Smudge Yarns' range of colours is reminiscent of natural dyes

  

  Cross-thatched Cowl designed by Sara and pattern published in "These Islands" book

  Life In The Long Grass

  

  Caroline and Life In The Long Grass yarn

  • Link to Life In The Long Grass online shop
  • LITLG was featured in Issue 13 of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine
  • LITLG is available in the following shops:
    • The Constant Knitter in Dublin
    • Warm and Fuzzy in Cary, North Carolina
    • The Celtic Knot in Silverdale, WA
    • The Dublin Bay Knitting Company in Portland, Oregan
    • Mein Woll Shop in Germany
    • Sockmade by Hand in Nederlands
    • Meadow Yarn in Suffolk, UK
    • YAK in Brighton, UK
    • A Yarn Story in Bath, UK
  • Dyers that LITLG are inspired by include:
    • Miss Babs in US
    • Western Sky Knits in US
    • Hedgehog Fibres in Cork

  

  Colourways mentioned in the audio: Tinshed (Centre) and Turf (right)

  

  Colourways that went home with Dearbhla (from left to right): Heathcliff, Bramble and Atlantic Moss

  Beer-tasting with Greg

  • Umami
  • Beersmith App
  • Orange Saison Recipe from Beersmith
  • Raspberry Wit
  • DMS (or Dimethyl Sulphides)
  • Whitelabs Yeast
  • Images of a Fermenter Fridge
  • Images of a Belt Heater for Homebrew
  • Images of Immersion Heater for fermenter
  • Wort
  • Untappd Website
  • 4 VG phenolic or 4-vinyl guaiacol (a.k.a. clove)
  • Esters

Our road-trip had no Thelma & Louise-style incidents and we didn't even accidentally end up on the road to Barack Obama's ancestral home in Monegal.

We arrived on Friday afternoon to a peninsula shrouded in mist and only managed to find some yarn-bombing.

By Saturday morning the mist had lifted and revealed the stunning landscape.

The Sheep's Head Yarn Festival kicked off with meet-and-greet at The Old Creamery in Kilcrohane.

They met the festival's main organiser, Niamh Cooper, and chatted with her about the background to the Sheep's Head Yarn Festival and life on the Sheep's Head peninsula.

In particular, Niamh mentions:

• The Wild Atlantic Way
• Ceramics and potter for sale from Dun Oir Crafts

The main focus of the Sheep's Head Yarn Festival was the workshops in various locations peppered around the peninsula.

Dearbhla and Clarabel also chatted with two of the workshop teachers:

• Marilyn Wallis-Eade about scrumble crochet and her alapaca and
• Jemima of Spinning Sheep about spinning in Ireland and Irish Sheep Breeds with spinning-worthy fleeces

They also learned that, as a spin-off from the festival, a new body has been formed called Sheep's Head Yarns. Based at The Black Gate throughout July and August, Sheep's Head Yarns will:

• run workshops,
• give pattern advice and
• sell needles, notions and yarn

If you're in the area on Wednesday, 1st July, they're launching this new endeavour with a PicKnit event at The Black Gate.

To wrap-up the episode Dearbhla met with her knit-night buddy, Treasa, and chatted about some of the features on the Sheep's Head peninsula dating from World War II:

• Eire markings and
• Coastal Watch service

  

  Eire marking on Sheep's Head peninsula

Also mentioned were:

• Campile Bombing
• The Donegal air corridor
• How the weather forecast from Blacksod lighthouse in Co. Mayo saved the D-Day invasion

Our taste of Ireland for this episode was:

• Barry's Tea and
• Cookie Shots from Foods of Athenry

As mentioned in Episode 1, we plan on releasing a pattern with each episode. Each pattern will be free until the next pattern is released. At the end of the year we will publish an ebook collection of all the patterns released during the year.

The pattern being release with Episode 1 is called "Muireann" and we hope you enjoy the pattern and enjoy the chat.

VATMOSS

We held off on issuing this pattern in the hope that the repercussions of the VATMOSS mess would have been resolved. As you'll hear us discussing, we sought advice from a Chartered Accountant. Since recording we have received the following response regarding VATMOSS:

Hi Claire,

There is no requirement to register as you are well below the VAT threshold of €37,500 of turnover per year.

If you need anything else just let me know.

Kind regards

_____________________________

FCA | Principal

The following is an extract from Dearbhla's blog about the pattern being attached with this episode:

Introducing Muireann

Muireann is a top-down girls’ cardigan with ribbed bodice and feather-and-fan lace swing that started with the buttons! My daughter fell in love with beautiful ceramic buttons in the shape of dolphins. Blue-variegated yarn was quickly purchased and a sea-themed jacket was promised. The girls’ name Muireann (pronounced Mwih-RhaN) is derived from the Irish words for “muir” which means ‘sea’; and “fionn” meaning ‘white’ or ‘fair’. True to its name, the combination of the color-changes and the shaping of this jacket re-create a “fair sea” for the dolphins. The colour-changes of the yarn on the bodice are like the play of sunlight on a deep, blue sea. When the structured ribbing reaches the empire line the change of gauge to ridged feather stitch allows the fabric to flare. The ridged feather stitch pattern is textured enough to allow the variegations of the yarn to shine. As a bonus, the waves formed by the stitch pattern are like the waves breaking on our local beach.

Muireann is graded for all sizes from 2 years old to 16 and is worked from the top-down using Barbara Walker’s method for simultaneously set-in sleeves as follows:

1. After a provisional cast-on, the back is worked until it is one-sixth of the armhole circumference.
2. Then each front is worked from the cast-on stitches to the same length as the back.
3. Stitches are picked up for the sleeves and the fronts, back and sleeve-caps are worked simultaneously, with paired increases forming the sleeves.
4. Just before the sleeves are divided away from the body, stitches are added to the body and the sleeves for the underarm shaping.

Thank you to all of my awesome test-knitters especially Maritere and Myjoha who posted great pictures on their Ravelry Project pages. You can download Muireann from my Ravelry store. ETA: [For those of you who just want to put it in your queue or library, for now, (hint! hint!) here's the link to the pattern page on Ravelry.]

I've laid out the pages with the photographs grouped so that the pattern falls over the central four pages - to minimise printing. I hope you enjoy spending time with Muireann!

http://traffic.libsyn.com/blasta/2015-03-09_-_dmcc_-_PatternRelease1.mp3

During their chat they speak about a number of patterns:

• The sweater Elanor is wearing is her Eleven Hundred Dollars pattern from "Hitch: Patterns Inspired by the Films of Alfred Hitchcock" published by Co-operative Press.
• Her first published pattern, In the Loop, was her response to a designer challenge from Knit Now magazine.
• At Edinburgh Yarn Festival Elanor was wearing her loom band hat.
• Patterns that Dearbhla has tech-edited for Elanor are Sinead's Hotty Botty and KISS Mitts.
• Last, but not least, Elanor's pattern Lady Lismore was one of the Knitty surprise patterns for  their Spring + Summer 2015 issue.

To celebrate her Knitty success, Elanor has set up a KAL. The cast-on date was May 1st but you have until July 20th to be in with a chance to win a number of prizes, including one for best riff. You can sign-up on Elanor's Ravelry group. Let us know if you're taking part.

Our pattern release is coming - sorry for the delay. In the meantime, here is a close-up from the t-shirt pattern Dearbhla is pairing with this episode.

While chatting to Elanor, Dearbhla mentions a wonderful Irish-language poem that describes Inspiration as a butterfly that will be crushed if you try to grasp it but will rest on your hand if you sit and wait for it. Unfortunately we can’t find the poem.  We have trawled the web trying to find it, even calling on a few Irish teachers to ask them if they knew it. Dearbhla is beginning to doubt it even exists! Can you help us find the poem?

To wrap-up the episode we sat down over a pint of Revenge Ruby Porter from Kelly’s Mountain Brew, to talk about what’s happening in our community.  The Republic of Ireland is voting on Friday, 22^nd May, for a constitutional change to allow same sex couples equality to marry.  While Dearbhla and Clara both support a Yes! vote, we mainly want to encourage everyone to get out and vote on this important referendum. Go to The Referendum Commission's website to get the facts and an unbiased view.

• Heather - an American woman living in Belfast in Northern Ireland . Find her on Instagram, Twitter and Ravelry. During our chat we mention the Instagram hashtag #spin15in15 and Deborah Robson's Craftsy class "Know Your Wool". Since chatting with us, Heather has launched The Drafting Zone. All spinners should check it out.
• Suzanne - an Irish woman living in Edinburgh. Find her on Twitter and Ravelry. Suzanne blogs with Cathy McFadden at Fibre Friends and is one of the designers in the recent publication "These Islands - Knits from Ireland, Scotland and Britain".
• Heidi of Ready Set Stitch, a New Yorker who lived in Dublin for a few years but is now finding her feet with a new crafting community in Milton Keynes. Find her on Instagram, Twitter and Ravelry.
• Antje of The Yarn Cake who grew up in Donegal with German roots. Antje tells us the back-story for The Yarn Cake, which has a connection back to Lisa of This Is Knit. Find The Yarn Cake on Instagram, Twitter and Ravelry.
• Kersti of In Tatters fame who let us know about her most recent endeavour Craftree. Find her on Instagram, Twitter and at her blog www.kersti.com.

Relaxing back at their hotel after their first day at Edinburgh Yarn Festival, Dearbhla and Claire chat about:

• Dearbhla's purchases, specifically The Bletchley Collection and enough Milburn Yarn from Eden Cottage Yarns to make Hut 8 a cardigan design by Joanne Scrace.
• Claire's purchases of Old Gold from Dublin Dye and Army and Navy from Old Maiden Aunt. That very day she had cast-on for The Penrose Tile by Carol Feller.
• Caroline's acquisition from Dublin Dye (as "requested" during Episode 2) was a skein of Alpaca Lace in "Midnight".
• And The Numbers Station

Back in Ireland, Dearbhla met up with Kirsty/SafetyFox to wrap up the episode over a pint of Cloughmore Granite Lager. Kirsty is an English woman who joined Swords Knit-night shortly after she arrived in Ireland from Qatar in 2012. Quintessential crafter-without-border that she is, Kirsty has since left Ireland to find new crafting groups in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Kirsty blogs at expatcats.wordpress.com and you can find her on Instagram, Twitter and Ravelry.

Also discussed were:

• Getting involved with p/hop
• Unwind, Brighton
• Fibre-East
• Woolmakers Bliss
• HandmAid Craft Day
• Going to Glasgow in October to celebrate The Yarn Cake's 5th anniversary at The Glasgow School of Yarn.
• Sláinte: The Complete Guide to Irish Craft Beer and Cider
• The Maclean Clan Tartans
• Rush Horticultural Society Annual Show. The Kenlake Cup (erroneously reffered to as "Kenure" Cup by Dearbhla) is awarded to the person with the highest aggregate points in the "Home Industries" categories.

This episode, Dearbhla met with Yvonne of Dublin Dye Company. Even though Yvonne was in the middle of getting stock ready to sell at Edinburgh Yarn Festival - her first major show - she generously took time out to be interviewed for BLASTA.

Some links and visuals for what was mentioned in this episode:

• In the dye shed, Yvonne mentions that Dearbhla previously bought Shetland Roving from Dublin Dye Company's Etsy shop:

• The naming of Dublin Dye Company Patterns was discussed and later on Yvonne's designs for Howth socks and Stepaside socks were discussed in detail.
• Dearbhla used Alpaca Lace from Dublin Dye Company in this Petals Wrap:

•  Back in the dye shed, Yvonne discusses how she dyed the custom-dyes yarn that Caroline requested for Dearbhla, Prism:

• During the interview, Yvonne was working on Autumn Whispers by Carol Feller in Dublin Dye Swing Sock Water Sprite
• These are the photographs Dearbhla shows Caroline as they chat about the colours Yvonne dyes:

• At the end of the show, Dearbhla and Caroline do some taste-testing of wine and ciders from Llewellyns Orchard:

Links to the wine and cider that were tasted:

• Lusca Irish Wine
• Double L Medium Cider
• Double L Bone Dry Cider
• Pear Cider (no link available)
• Llewellyn's Irish Balsamic Cider Vineagar

Come and meet us in the Podcaster Lounge at Edinburgh Yarn Festival on March 14th and 15th. In the meantime, engage with us on social media at:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Ravelry

Theme Music is "Trouble With a Capital T" by Horslips and is used with kind permission of Horslips' management.

So, wherever you are in the world - and whatever your fibre craft - sit down, relax and have a listen.

In this episode we mention:

• Debbie Stoller's book "Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker" in relation to Irish Crochet Lace

• Clones Summer School in relation to workshops in Irish Crochet Lace

• In June 2012 Dearbhla attended a workshop in The Constant Knitter by Olga Krivenko on Russian-made Irish Crochet Lace. The attached photographs that Dearbhla took show the stunning work done by Olga and her friends in Russia and Olga demonstrating how to do the netting around Irish Crochet motifs.

• Irish Yarn shops mentioned were:
• This Is Knit in Dublin City Centre
• Springwools in Walkinstown, Dublin

• The website for craft beers in Ireland is Beoir.org

• Kate Davies' articles in relation to the Aran Sweater Myth can be found on her blog at http://katedaviesdesigns.com/2009/12/09/cable/ and also on Deirdre Nelson's Tumblr at http://barantuil.tumblr.com/arangansey

Come and meet us in the Podcaster Lounge at Edinburgh Yarn Festival on March 14th and 15th. In the meantime, engage with us on social media at:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Ravelry

Theme Music is "Trouble With a Capital T" by Horslips and is used with kind permission of Horslips' management.