Two Women Yelling About Knitting

Join Anjali and Alison for a conversation about parasocial relationships, a.k.a. the one-sided connections we build with people we've only ever seen through a screen. We get into where the idea came from, how it plays out in the knitting world, from test knit calls that fill up in minutes to the Red Sea parting at Rhinebeck, and the less cozy side, too: hate-watching, Craftsnark, and that one person whose cracker-eating somehow annoys you. Then knitwear designer Tina Tse joins us to talk about what it's actually like to be on the other side of all that, including getting recognized in yarn stores, getting harassed for speaking up, and the people in the community who show up to keep each other safe. Plus, a holiday gift edition of Cast On or Drop That Stitch.
Find Tina's patterns at tinatseknits.com
Follow her on Instagram: @tina.say.makes
Follow us on Instagram: @twyakpod
Email us: twyakpod@gmail.com
We are now on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music (audio only) and are experimenting with adding video to our podcast on Spotify. Find us and subscribe on your preferred platform!
Our Parasocial Relationship “Friends”
@lou.dangit on Instagram
Ali Makes Everything on YouTube
Further Reading/Watching on Parasociality
Thriveworks article on the prevalence of parasocial relationships
Our episode on test knitting
PetiteKnit profile in the New York Times - gift link
Laura Penrose is a knitting designer who is open about her mental health
Beyond Friendship: A Call for Research on Negative Parasocial Experiences
Our episode on knitting gossip
Knitting Patterns We Mention
Tina's Home Sweet Home cardigan pattern/formula
Headband with earflaps by Fridasten
So Mush Room by Ainur Berkimbayeva
Star Wars Double Knit Scarf by Jessica Goddard
The Scullery Cat by Sara Elizabeth Kellner
Project Hail Mary cardigan pattern, charts and resources
Yarns We Mention
John Arbon Exmoor Sock Yarn
Rauma Finullgarn
Jamieson & Smith Two-Ply Jumper Weight
Not Knitty Things We Mention
Rhino Split+ Skin Balm will heal your winter-ravaged knitting hands
DIVA exhibit at Denver Art Museum is a good time!
In case you missed it…we were on In Case You Missed It's episode about the famous pink hat of the first Women's March

The climate is changing and it's impacting our knitting, but no one is really talking about it. Today Anjali and Alison talk about it, joined by TWYAK's first-ever guest: Lisa Johnson, a climate journalist with CBC News and an avid knitter. The conversation covers the climate impacts of knitting -- from sheep farms to finished sweaters -- as well as the "climate resilience" knitting can bring to knitters and their communities.
Find Lisa's work at lisasjohnson.ca
Follow us on Instagram: @twyakpod
Email us: twyakpod@gmail.com
We are now on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music (audio only) and are experimenting with adding video to our podcast on Spotify. Find us and subscribe on your preferred platform!
Background Reading from Climate Lisa
Greenhouse gas emissions from a diversity of sheep production systems in the United States — Article with the surprising finding about more intensive vs more range-based sheep farming methods, but please watch the episode for more context from Lisa
Environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and end-of-life of a woollen garment — Follows a theoretical 300-gram sweater from sheep to the end of a sweater's life, in an attempt to measure its environmental impacts
Evaluating Environmental Impact of Natural and Synthetic Fibers: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach — Looks at the environmental impact of six fibers: conventional and organic cotton, silk, jute, flax, and polyester
Learn more about regenerative wool at Fibershed
Knitting Things
Mungo, a recycled cotton-wool yarn from Retrosaria Rosa Pomar, entirely made with pre-consumer waste from Portuguese spinning mills
Look at My Holes pattern by James Watts
Project Hail Mary cardigan pattern, charts and resources
Alison's Book Recommendations
The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts
The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Anjali's Podcast Recommendations
Bandsplain's Radiohead episode, Part 1 and Part 2
Dissect Season 11 about Radiohead's In Rainbows

Is slower knitting more mindful? Are process knitters superior to project knitters? In this episode, Anjali and Alison talk about the recent social media conversation around fast knitting and fast fashion, why continental knitting isn’t always the fastest, and why Elizabeth Zimmerman was right (of course). Plus, we revisit our thoughts on AI and knitting and invent a foolproof method for evaluating yarn stores called the Rosa Pomar Test!
Follow us on Instagram: @twyakpod
Email us: twyakpod@gmail.com
We are now on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music (audio only) and are experimenting with adding video to our podcast on Spotify. Find us and subscribe on your preferred platform!
Further Reading & Watching
Slow Knitting: A Journey from Sheep to Skein to Stitch by Hannah Thiessen seems to be out of print, but you can find it used at places like Powell's Books
The Slow Fashion Renaissance: An In-Depth Exploration of Crochet and Knitting as Sustainable Technologies for Contemporary Fashion by Jie Peng
Knitting Rebellion, Elizabeth Zimmerman, Identity and Craftsmanship in Post-War America by Maureen Lilly Marsh
Lou Dangit on timing their knitting
VickyIsKnitting on why knitting speed is not always a choice
AI Discussion
Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao
Sam Altman May Control Our Future -- Can He Be Trusted? - The New Yorker
Lucy Liang on the Hobbii AI debacle
The Joji Locatelli AI backstory on Craftsnark and Joji's response and apology
Deborah Knits on how AI is breaking the knitting pattern economy
Other Knitty Things
High Tide Fibers, a store in Rehoboth Beach, RI that passes the Rosa Pomar test
Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Mondim in colorway M82
Andrea Rangel short row heel
Patty Lyons's improved slip slip knit
Burgos Vest pattern by Rosa Pomar
Yarn lineup at The Wooly Thistle - help me choose!
Other Happy Things
Trailer for This is a Gardening Show
CarlsFriendsDotNet is sadly not accepting new orders right now due to overwhelming social media demand! But they say they may be back in November

Welcome back to Season 3! Anjali and Alison kick things off with a topic that a lot of knitters have A Lot of Feelings about: knitwear designers releasing brand-new patterns that are similar (sometimes very similar) to patterns they have already released. We also hear from Sophie Hemmings of the Knit Purl Girl, who was kind enough to share her thoughts from the designer's perspective.
Buckle up and put on that cardigan version of the pullover pattern you also own. Or is it a jacket? Or did you buy the blouse version, not the pullover? Doesn't matter, we're going to talk about it all!
Follow us on Instagram: @twyakpod
Email us: twyakpod@gmail.com
We are now on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music (audio only) and are experimenting with adding video to our podcast on Spotify. Find us and subscribe on your preferred platform!
"Would you like to double down on your meal?" - Portlandia
Examples of Single Pattern Releases
Felix Cardigan and Felix Pullover by Amy Christoffers
Esther Vest and Esther Jacket by Petite Knit
Anker's Sweater by PetiteKnit
Ooey Gooey, plus the Sock Set, Cowl, and Mitt Set by Andrea Mowry
Cozy Classic Raglan and Cozy Classic Light by Jessie Maed Designs
The Weekender, Weekender Light and Weekender Crew by Andrea Mowry
Cumulus Blouse and Cumulus Blouse O-neck by PetiteKnit
Lakes Pullover, Lakes Cardigan, Lakes Crew Cardigan, etc by Ozetta
Celeste Sweater, Celeste Sweater Junior and Celeste Sweater Man by PetiteKnit
Gib I and Gib II by Andrea Mowry
Examples of Multi-Option Patterns
Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague
Mara Blouse by the Knit Purl Girl
Lanark Sweater by Rebecca Clow
Lauder by Rebecca Clow
Saglan by Ailbíona McLochlainn
Other Knitty Things
Alison is wearing the Autumn Alpine sweater with yarn from Queen City Yarn
The Tin Can Knits app lets you choose the size you are knitting and just shows you the instructions for that size
Other Recommendations
WALNUT yarn store in Tokyo
Amirisu Sprint hand-dyed yarn
Okadaya Shinjuku
Craft Code Switching - Pom Pom Mag Substack
Anjali's Caddis reading glasses are the Wabi Sabi in "Gloss Minor Blues" and Triple G in Heritage Green

We're popping in for a surprise bonus episode! Join Anjali and Alison in a conversation about the viewer comments that made us think differently, opened our minds to new ideas, or even made us realize we were wrong. Y'all are classy and we appreciate you.
Watch for our return for Season 3 in the fall!
Follow us on Instagram: @twyakpod
Email us: twyakpod@gmail.com
Episodes We Mention (In Order of Appearance)
Should You Use AI in Your Knitting?
Are These Knitting Designers Copying Each Other?
Stop Calling Knitting a Grandma Hobby
Craftivism & the Melt the Ice Hat
Knitty Things We Mention
Moby sweater by PetiteKnit
Hanstholm sweater by PetiteKnit
Anjali is wearing the Corran Cardigan in De Rerum Natura Robinson in Citronnade
Green, square buttons from My Sister Knits, an LYS in Fort Collins, CO
Mussel shell buttons from La Mercerie, an LYS in Bainbridge Island, WA
Wood buttons from Retrosaria Rosa Pomar, an LYS in Lisbon, Portugal
Dusty's Vintage Buttons
Denver Asian Food Recs
Nana's Dim Sum and Dumplings
MAK Fam