The Shinybees Knitting and Yarn Podcast
Leisure:Hobbies
Mitch of Surfing Ducks is my guest on the podcast this week, where we discuss a plethora of things that spiral slightly out of control and end somewhere around knitted, transferable 'tramp stamps.'
Yes...
Mitch designs sock patterns with a particular twist; every heel flap is adorned with a quirky design. This led to the brand developing into an almost secret society under the #HiddenHeels theme. The idea is you can have these socks on, and have a heel that is usually hidden from view, but then is brought out on show at exactly the right moment. this moment may well be to secure access to some underground speakeasy with a gin urn.
Mitch is several patterns in now (more have been added since this interview was recorded a few months ago) and each time a new one is released, there is a badge to go along with it. Be one of the first to finish and share pictures of your #HiddenHeels design and collect your limited edition badge.
I don't know about you, but I want all those badges.
We also discuss how Mitch balances her design work against her demanding day job. She began her foray back into socks a couple of years ago after previously finding them difficult. A chance meeting with the lovely Christine Perry of Winwick Mum at Sirdar led to her catching the bug again, thanks to Christine's infectious enthusiasm for the medium of socks.
Mitch had also worked in customer support for a large online retailer and was the pattern support specialist. Through the experience, she was able to gather lots of knowledge and learn exactly what sort of thing trip knitters up when knitting a pattern, and has been able to bring all that to her design work. Her aim is to make knitting easy, and each of her designs adds one new technique, to ease the knitter into developing their skills in an easy feeling way.
Although her patterns look complicated, only the small heel canvas contains the colour changing. Because it is so small, it can be a great way to introduce techniques without it feeling too overwhelming. Brand new sock knitters have knit several of her patterns and had success, so if you are even a little bit intrigued, chances are you will be able to do them.
For her design work, Mitch uses Stitchmastery and Stitch Fiddler (snigger) although she also advocates Excel as useful for charts.
All of her patterns are available via Ravelry, and there are plans to produce ebooks of the collections at a later stage. Mitch is already teaching socks knitting and would love to do more of this as her business expands.
You can find Mitch at www.surfingducks.com.
Links and full show notes for this episode are at www.shinybees.com/109
Episode 78 - What to Knit in 2016
Episode 77: Knitting Goals
Episode 76: Knitting Calendar
Episode 75: Joyeux Noel
Episode 74: Knitivity
Episode 73 - The Three Little Pigs
Episode 72: An Interview with Alice Elsworth of Whistlebare Yarns
Episode 71: Lace Knits
Episode 70: An Interview with Boo Knits
Episode 69: Man Socks
Episode 68 - Socks, Yeah! An Interview with Rachel Coopey
Episode 67 - Mo' Mohair
Episode 66 - The Diamond Fibre
Episode 65 - National Knitting Week
Episode 64: Socktober Happenings
Episode 63: Over the Hills, and Back to London!
Episode 62: An Interview with Kate Atherley
Episode 61: Hat Architect - An Interview with Woolly Wormhead
Episode 60: Forensic Psychobiology to Wool Emporium - An Interview with Leona-Jayne Kelly of Fluph
Episode 59: Self Stripe Madness - An Interview with Michelle Berry of Berry Colourful Yarnings
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