The Bluebird Box Knits | Ep18: forgotten knits, size inclusivity, testing mohair, and farm chores.

[@theknittystew]

SooO much goodness Anna! The Always Vest is on my needles while I watch, and I'm loving these new designs. The Garter pullover is right up my alley! I've been on the hunt for a soft mohair too! Knitting for Olive is my favourite, and most easily accessible one so far. Enjoyed the Sleeping Princess book. Great message. :) Have a wonderful week. By the looks of the temperatures coming our way I think you'll have the opportunity to wear your Musselburgh... brr!

[@kathyschnitzius7031]

I appreciate that you are concerned with the ethics of using particular yarns. As far as not wasting the mohair that is too itchy to wear next to skin, I understand that mohair can be used to reinforce socks made with yarn that doesn’t have nylon. My feet are not sensitive to prickly yarns. I have also used mohair with a fingering for liners inside my LettLopi mittens. My hands tolerate pricklier yarns well. Perhaps you could use the pricklier mohair yarns for hands and feet! 🤚✋🦶

[@thebluebirdbox]

Great idea! My hands are not very reactive either - I could make mittens.

[@tinekejoldersma]

That project bag, dear, what a cutie.

[@alecsgirl]

Your seed star hap is amazing! I love the drape and wish I were patient enough to knit that shawl in lace weight with the same fibres. It looks so soft and filmy. I look forward once it’s published to see all the projects that use a different yarn.

[@ruthswarthout1115]

Hi Anna, good to see you congrats on all your test knits, having a kal with your cardi would be fun I don't do Instagram but whatever you choose would be fine. Thanks for sharing your life.

[@katherinehill3958]

I was visiting my parents in Yukon. About 4 years ago I was out for a walk in a rather remote community. I had a lynx walk across the trail about 20 feet in front of me. It didn’t care about me at all. It was absolutely incredible.

[@thebluebirdbox]

Thanks for sharing! How amazing!

[@myrnadean2344]

Never say never on seeing the lynx. I grew up near Whitecourt, Alberta and have seen a lynx from a car twice. They're so beautiful. My parents have seen one up a tree on their property.

[@thebluebirdbox]

Amazing! As a biologist, I spent a summer doing field work near Whitecourt - I was able to see a river otter family playing in a creek in the middle of nowhere. I'll never forget it!

[@hollyscott8772]

Thanks for your lovely knitting podcast, Anna. Your sheep are gorgeous!

[@theknittystew]

Really looking forward to sitting and watching this on the weekend. I’m back home on Sunday and can’t wait to cozy down and knit !!

[@thebluebirdbox]

Hope you had a great trip!

[@chet1051]

Lisar: Your designs are soo much what I'm wanting now . Flattering , versatility, beautiful yarns with interesting fabrics and construction. Perfect balance IMO - keeps interesting without being a brain cell exercise that I don't personally feel like right now . If I may say ,without presuming to know what or why ,,, You seem to be happier & more confident . It's a beautiful thing to see . You're talented . I'm happy to go buy your patterns wherever you are offering them . The hap has to be one this year for me . i've been searching for just the right one . Thank yiu ❤

[@sarahjanewheatley5472]

Hi Anna, so glad you had some time for yourself and feel a bit more relaxed! Your designs are beautiful and you have so much inspiration, which is amazing, however I imagine that knitting other people’s designs helps you to hone your own ideas too.

[@lisagilmore4519]

The blanket/shawl is absolutely gorgeous. Love seeing the farm chores. Have a good day.

[@debbieward9732]

The spin me a yarn was awesome!

[@genier7829]

I have no information on mohair sourcing, but I have used mohair yardage for coating in the past, and mohair velvet is a phenomenal and durable upholstery fabric. I am sure the latter is made with the coarser hair, it lasts for literally decades and is dog proof as well.

[@thebluebirdbox]

I imagine mohair upholstery is gorgeous!

[@rochellehancock8120]

Love seeing the farm chores segment!

[@mrspilgrim327]

Hi Anna, Im a first time viewer, what a fabulous podcast, I am subscribed now and can't wait for your next catch up. I felt a need to say something about this size business, mainly because I wanted to support what you were saying by telling my own experience. I hope this helps you and those who are plus size too. Im 158cm (5ft 2”) and used to weigh 100kg, 220 pounds. That was about 10 years ago, back then it was even harder to find plus size clothing than it is now. Ravelry was also still newish, however there were designers making larger sizes, usually the designers were plus size themselves. I have noticed today there are many more designers out there providing for even bigger sizes, including designers like yourself who don't appear to be doing it for personal reasons but are trying to help the overweight knitting community have access to a wide variety of patterns. As you said Anna, all too often I also hear other designers cannot get test knitters for the plus sizes either, which must make you wonder if its demand or just a small squeaky wheel that has given rise to this size inclusive trend. “Size inclusive” is a very broad term, at what point does it end? How many inches does it have to come to, according to the sizing police? As I write this I just checked my average sized dressmaker's measuring tape, and it maxes out at 60 inches. If I wanted to size something to 62 inches, as you have Anna, I would have to get a special measuring tape. I know there is no answer to my questions because there are no sizing police, but there are complainers. Twelve years ago I found myself complaining and I personally came to a crossroads. I either needed to accept that my choice in clothing was going to be very limited and I would need to start making my own clothes and learning how to alter them to suit my shape, ie, learn to design, or I would need to lose weight. I was capable of learning the skill of knitting and sewing to make my own clothes, the internet was at my fingertips, just as it is now. I chose to lose weight and I'm grateful I had that choice and made that choice. A majority of plus size people are in the same boat I was, they just don't want to admit it because it's a hard choice to make. At any stretch, learning a new skill requires effort, and losing a lot of weight requires more effort. Getting someone else to do that work for you, like a designer, is a real easy solution, but that doesn't make it the right one. Given there is now a big variety of patterns on hand for larger sized people by many designers, the foundation is well and truly laid. Beginner knitters now have ample opportunity to pick a pattern and learn techniques to modify garments to accommodate their size, not to mention all of the other help and tutorials on the internet provided free of charge. So with some experience, skills and effort, any large person can eventually, after knitting and making themselves familiar with a certain garment, start modifying other similar patterns with confidence. There is a strong community of plus size designers who have done the hard part already, if you are plus sized, get involved, start designing with them, share among yourselves and add more diversity to your knitting community. To those who feel daunted by modifying their own patterns, I know that as challenging as any new skill is to learn, this is not rocket science, all knitters were having to do this with patterns from the 1960s and earlier, because in most cases there was only ever one size in a knitting pattern to knit from, and they were the smallest sizes. If our mothers and grandmothers could do it, why can't we do it with all of this additional help. But if you consider it from a designers perspective, they have an impossible challenge which they can never meet because we all carry weight in different areas. Some of us carry weight on our bellies, others the bust, others the hips or the arms, so the best person to tailor a pattern for you is you, the person who is going to wear it, that's a huge part of the joy of learning to knit and not relying on shop clothing. But this is also where the designer has no hope of pleasing everyone; there are too many variations. The truth is we are not all built the same, and overweight people are often the first to admit that. I'm so glad you raised your own personal challenge with trying to find garments with longer arms Anna. There are tall people, short people, thin people, busty people, disabled people, people with very big feet, people with big heads, all of these people have to find ways to get themselves covered in clothing. People who are more overweight than the average person, have no more a right to demand designers create fashion to conform to their clothing desires, than anyone else who is shaped differently to the average populace. In fact the overweight person has the added advantage to change the problem, ie, to lose weight or learn to modify knitted garments to fit their body size. Anna I really hope gives you some peace of mind that you are thinking right, in my opinion you really have gone further than you needed to with your sizing as it is. I also hope others read this and get some encouragement or if needed a bit of conviction to help them get on the right path. On a final note, I haven't said this in anger or hatred for plus size people, but out of love for the truth that rarely gets spoken today…... I've been down the plus size road and I understand all of the pain that comes with it, but I didn't expect other people in the world with me to grieve themselves over the image I made of myself. Looking forward to your next podcast Anna, sorry for such a lengthy comment, I guess I had a lot to say. Cheers, Tara.

[@thebluebirdbox]

Thank you for your encouragement! It has definitely been a challenge and I am committed to. Thanks for giving me your perspective.

[@kerryrandall6618]

I agree with you in regard to an over expectation in size inclusivity in pattern designs. I am not plus size , but an older person who was taught to adjust knitting and sewing patterns to fit when young, as my mother had to make fitting adjustments to my school uniforms, and all my off the rack blouses, skirts etc, and her sister taught me knitting skills and fitting adjustments math, as even in the 1970s knitting patterns usually came in 3 sizes, up from the single extra small size she had to deal with when she learnt to knit herself. I never knit a pattern today without some fit adjustment, as we are all different shapes, and the many 'sizes' a designer includes does not cover all possibilities of shape, the good designers lets you know where to make your own shaping changes in their patterns, if you can follow a pattern and guage swatch correctly, there is no reason except laziness not to get a reasonable fit from anything you cast on, everything is your choice including the time you put into your garments. Thank you for giving a first person perspective on size inclusivity.

[@mrspilgrim327]

Hi Kerry, Thankyou for replying. I was a bit worried it might be a bit too opinionated when I wrote it, but I can only tell the truth from my own experience. I love how you pointed out, '....the good designers let you know where to make your own shaping changes in their patterns'. Thats such a good point. I also love that you were taught from your youth to adjust patterns, its such a valueable skill. Designers of course must know how to do it for the designing process, but anyone who makes their own garments needs this skill to fit their garment properly, it saves so much disapointment. I would love see everyone slow down a little, research, enjoy the whole process, and finally be pleased with the end result.

[@kerryrandall6618]

@@mrspilgrim327 Yes we had to help ourselves in the country, we had no local yarn stores. There are a number of good books out there on adjusting your knits to fit your body, and if not living in a capital city you did not have access to the spinners and weavers guild (members who are often very experienced knitters and happy to give tips). In America you have fiber festivals where you can attend a courses on pattern adjustment taught by different designers, this has never been an option here in Australia with our low population numbers, until the pandemic, so that now you could attend an online class anywhere in the world. Today's young knitters have so many options to upskill, but it appears they would rather spend money on luxury yarn than investing in their own capabilities. Very much squeaky wheels.

[@wanderingheartknits]

Thank you for the info on mohair! I have only tried one kind and it was SO itchy! I can comfortably wear alpaca yarn though. I’m going to try out the Rowan kid silk mohair and the knitting for olive one!

[@thebluebirdbox]

I hope you find they work for you!

[@pamroebuck4764]

Ravelry is definitely challenging in some cases. A knitalong would b great Anna. Test knitting the cardi has been fab and my niece has already asked for one. She actually wanted mine however I'm keeping it 🙂

[@thebluebirdbox]

Good for you!

[@bubba6381]

I loved the blanket/shawl pattern, your idea of a knitalong for the Garter Cardigan sounds like fun, as a participant I find Ravelery easier to use as my instagram is set to private changing that all the time is a pain and I mostly forget and uploading Photos is also a hassle foe me. I am technological challenged as I have been isolated from mainstream for 23 years so I have only learnt by trial and error (mostly errors). Here in outback Australia we use Masculating rings on the lambs 🐑. Thank you for keeping me company today while I had my morning coffee ☕️ 😀.

[@thebluebirdbox]

The farm where we got the wethers used castrating rings - I guess you can do them wrong?? If we have ram lambs born this year, I guess we will need to figure out how to do it right!

[@80sgma10]

Try the book Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly. It's a young adult novel, so it may not be appropriate for your kids yet, but I think you'll love it.

[@alecsgirl]

Question: when do you plan to publish (or even test for that matter) your Brooklyn Tweed Shelter circular yoke pattern. I am SO excited to see this one and knit myself one. I think the patterning is beautiful and I like how you plan invert the colours. So cool!

[@thebluebirdbox]

I've planned with BT to release it this fall! Lots of time to wait, unfortunately, but I hope its worth it!

[@lillacgrey]

Tynn silk mohair is 15% wool in addition to silk and mohair. Perhaps that's why you find it to be scratcher than the others.

[@thebluebirdbox]

Oh maybe! I'm not super reactive to sheep's wool, but I am extremely reactive to many mohairs.

[@Journals4breakfast]

Another inspiring podcast! Thank you for always sharing the ideas and projects I’m always itching to knit after watching. Sorry the sheep have had issues I know that’s stressful. So what’s the ultimate goal with the sheep? Wool? Just curious if these sheep are a part of the knitting journey ultimately. Adore the HAP, hmmmm making me want to stash dive….

[@thebluebirdbox]

Yes, wool yarn is the goal! I have last years clip stored in my basement. With this year’s clip, I should have enough to send it to get spun but in Canada that can involve a wait of up to 18 months!

[@anitawessels3932]

I am currently on a MAL on Instagram. It works prefect in the closed group. I am already committed to another KAL.

[@mairaurena4488]

I would love to participate in a knit along, what do you think about Discord platform. I’m participating in the Great stash Down and it is hold in this platform. You can post pictures chat with other members and you can even hold hangouts. As always enjoyed your podcast and beautiful views of your farm, your dog is so cute, like a big teddy bear. I dream of one day have a farm of my own.

[@thebluebirdbox]

He is the biggest snuggle bug - he wishes he were a lap dog!

[@janloughran1503]

That's quite the disappointment (and shock) with the supposed size inclusive pattern books?! To suggest that a 54" garment circumference is "plus size" is not surprising in the year it was published...if you weren't a size 0 you were "too big to model". It doesn't mean it's acceptable to publish that opinion in the form of knitting patterns! As for the mohair conundrum, there is always a market for the rougher fibres. Outer wear like coats and slip overs won't have the fibre next to skin but it's hardier. I would hope that is what happens after the goat is passed the "kid" stage and not just sent for slaughter 😬 Hope you have better luck with the next Weathers!

[@thebluebirdbox]

That's good to hear!

[@christineclothier5773]

Im glad to hear that others struggle with ravelry. I love using ravelry for patterns and i record my handspun yarn stash there, but i cannot for the life of me understand how to use the chat or follow groups. Thanks for the size inclusive pattern im a 56" bust and can be quite a challenge to find nice patterns to knit.

[@thebluebirdbox]

I'm glad I'm not alone, I always feel so dumb after trying to post on a Ravelry thread :/

[@helenmulcahy1399]

Oh no, those poor sheep. Slaughtering them seems so cruel, it’s not their fault the surgery did not go as planned. Maybe you can keep them as pets!! 😢

[@thebluebirdbox]

They were essentially our pets, but unfortunately if you can’t play nice around here, you don’t get to stay 😕

[@MsMegil]

You have to give designers a break. Being size inclusive has been an issue for the last five or so years and rightfully so. However I’m willing to give designers a break who were designing to industry standards at the time, but have changed. Even Isabel Kramer has improved her inclusivity over her earlier designs. Martin Storey has improved his sizing as well as many others.

[@thebluebirdbox]

Yes, there have been many great changes! I do get discouraged when patterns like the "Drawing Sweater" come out and get so much traction while only offering 3 sizes. Many of the Petite Knit's patterns I see podcasters knit are not very size inclusive, either. We have so many choices of patterns these days, I believe we should choose well and so that it benefits others, not just ourselves.