Make Joy Podcast

Allison Thistlewood

A yarn-alogue of knitting, travel and making adventures

champagneqiviut.substack.com

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12 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes12

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Yesterday · 2 min
S2: Teaser
Hello yarn friends! It’s been a while! How’s your making? Things here have been busy - school, work, plus getting ready for this year’s Make Joy. But through it all, I’ve also found time to record the next series of the Make Joy Podcast. I’m really proud of what has come together for this series, all around the theme of big, bold, beautiful projects. Each episode challenges the kinds of projects we take on as makers, and what makes a project larger than life. Series 2 starts on Sunday, 9 August - my birthday treat to all of you! Have a little listen to this teaser if you want to know more about what it’s all about. New episodes will debut weekly, with a little break halfway through. More soon, and thanks for listening! Warmly, Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Nov 16, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
S1 E10: Celebrating Big Dreams and 20 Years of Loop with Susan Cropper
Hello yarn friends - It’s Sweater Weather - finally! - and welcome to November. Of course, this is one of the mildest Novembers that I can remember here in the UK so the heavy knits haven’t made it out of the wardrobe yet. I can hardly believe that the podcast started back in August and sunshine and now here I am wrapping up Series 1 under Landon’s grey skies. This is Episode 10 of the podcast, and to wrap things up in a celebratory way, I’m delighted to chat with Susan Cropper, owner of the iconic Loop yarn shop here in London and which this year is celebrating their 20th anniversary. Loop holds a special place in my heart - it was the first yarn shop I knew about in London and even before moving here I looked forward to seeing their unique and hard-to-find yarns that were even difficult to find in Canada. My partner Jordan visited Loop on a work trip to the UK before we moved over and brought back a sweater’s quantity of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Thistle, which I knit into a Central Park Hoodie while I waited in Toronto for mine and Harry’s visa paperwork to process. And when I finally left Canada for our UK adventure it was with a card from my stitchy friends at my LYS directing me to Loop where a gift card was waiting to help me enhance my stash on my arrival in the London. During my time in London, Loop has been a constant part of the UK yarn landscape and woven into my knitting adventures with Yarn in the City, and even becoming one of Susan’s Loopettes for a couple of years. So it was an honour to chat with Susan about the origins of her shop and her design background and how she built her shop from an idea to have a sweet knitting shop with the kinds of yarns she wanted to knit with to the celebration of colour and textiles that it is today. Susan’s love for textiles is obvious - from the way she plays with colour to her discovery of textile artists and how she finds, works with and promotes artists. Her love of discovering talented people is sharing them with her audience is a big part of the shop and what makes it so unique. Loop’s collaborations with makers are delightful - from knitting and crochet designers and their wonderful patterns exclusive to the shop, to unique one of a kind kits like the Bomboloni Babette Blanket or the Loop’s The Original Sweater by Sophie Ochera. When I asked Susan what her strategy for the shop was, she didn’t have one. Or at least, not in a conventional “business-y” way. Rather, her strategy is simple: do what you love, and trust your gut. Plus some pearls of wisdom from her dad to work really hard at what you do, and be good at it. A lovely combination that I think is relevant today and can be applied to everything - not just building and running a yarn shop. I really enjoyed our chat and hope you will too! And of course this is the last episode for a while, but I’m already planning Series 2 for next year. I’ve got a big, juicy theme I’m working on that I can’t wait to share with you. If you’ve got any comments or feedback about the podcast so far, or a suggestion for someone you’d like me to talk to, let me know. Thank you so much for listening, and wishing you all the best for the upcoming festive season. Best, Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Oct 26, 2025 · 1 hr 16 min
S1 E9: Knitters’ Question Time presented by Wild & Woolly and Knit 15
Hello yarn friends - We’re getting close to the end of this first series of the Make Joy podcast and I can hardly believe it. It’s been a wild ride, and a crazy year, and while it hasn’t always gone to plan, I hope you’ve enjoyed listing to the conversations I’ve been able to have with friends and colleagues from the yarn and craft world. This week is a little bit different, as things have been busy behind the scenes getting ready for Make Joy in a few short weeks. You’re coming, right? ;) I was wondering what to do for the podcast this week when it came to me - why not share a little bit about what it’s like to be there? So this week, I hope you’ll enjoy my sharing the recording with you of last year’s Knitters’ Question Time presented by Wild & Wooly x Knit 15. Knitters’ Question Time is always a festival favourite, from when Anna and I first started these at unravel years ago, to last year having to turn people away at the door due to space capacity in the room (don’t worry - the talks at Make Joy this year are in a room with double the capacity!). Anna of course, is the owner of Wild & Woolly and hugely knowledgeable about knitting and has a huge roster of talented folks at her fingertips who she brings together for the expert panel to answer all kinds of questions. On this recording of Knitters’ Question Time the panel is ably moderated by Anna and the experts include: * Jonathan Day * Belen Fernandez * Wendy Peterson * Sylvia Watts-Cherry It was wonderful to listen to the recording and get even more excited for this year’s Make Joy - not just for the talks (sponsored this year by Laine Publishing!) or the exhibitors, but by the laughter and camaraderie that you could hear from the audience in the room. I loved listening to audience members offer their own advice and answers to questions, and the commiseration with others on a variety of topics (turns out swatching isn’t the most popular, who knew?!). There’s only a few short weeks now to Make Joy, which returns to Woolwich Works on Saturday 8 November. Early bird tickets are available now and the price goes up 1 November so make sure you’ve got yours soon! Plus make a plan to take a workshop or join in for the Make Joy After Party with Les Garçons. Enjoy the episode, and I’ll see you at Make Joy in a few short weeks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Oct 12, 2025 · 5 hr 14 min
S1 E8: Knitting 365 with Martyn
Hello yarn lovers, and a very Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you all! Tonight I’m feeling very full - both of Sunday Roast and gratitude for this past year! It seems like life is moving at breakneck speed lately, and I’m working so hard to keep up! My next guest on the Make Joy podcast, Martyn, leads an equally busy life, and I’m kind of in awe of everything he manages to accomplish with a day job, knitting on multiple projects, and keeping up with writing his Substack and creating content for his YouTube channel, Knit365 Blog. Plus not to mention visiting a lot of yarn shows - and even teaching at them too! I really love that Martyn refers to himself as an “accidental knitter”, as well as a “knitter who also crochets”. It’s a great story that Martyn tells about how he became a knitter and hope you find it as charming as I did. We also chatted about Martyn’s superfan status with TOFT yarns and becoming a creature himself within Edward’s Menagerie. Making one wonder, if you were going to be recreated in animal amigurumi form, which animal would you be?? Not all of us will get to answer that questions, but Martyn has, and he’s also found a unique way to celebrate the anniversary of his namesake bear with TOFT in raising funds for The Wildwood Trust. Like many IG and internet friends, Martyn and I always seem to know each other from running into each other at various yarn shows, so it was absolutely lovely to have a proper catch up. This is a VERY chatty episode, clocking in around 90 minutes, so settle in with a cuppa and your latest project for some proper yarn-y chat. Apologies for the timer on the player - I’m not sure what happened with the upload of the file but I promise it really isn’t 5 hours long! We talk about community a lot, and how awesome knitters and makers are, plus Martyn also shares his best tips for visiting yarn shows. You know Make Joy is coming up! And Martyn will be there too as one of the panelists on Knitters’ Question Time. Don’t forget, early bird tickets are only available until November 1st. Enjoy the episode, and happy stitching! Allison x This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Sep 28, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min
S1 E7: A Little Social Knitting With Amanda and Fiona
Hello yarn friends - I’m so excited to share this latest episode of the podcast with you, as it’s Knit City Vancouver this weekend and I loved having the opportunity to speak with Amanda and Fiona of Knit Social, the organisers behind this legendary Canadian yarn festival, when I was in Vancouver this past summer. Sadly, I’ve had some technical issues with the sound on this episode so I hope you’ll forgive me that all the levels aren’t exactly right. Sometimes recording on the go is tricky and this time it got the best of me! Still, it was amazing to chat with Amanda and Fiona and learn more about their retreats and yarn shows and how they’ve expanded to be in FOUR Canadian cities (Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, and Calgary), showcasing the talented makers across the country. We also chatted about running a yarn events biz with your bestie, coming up with crazy ideas, and their new travels in Ireland. Other things we talked about included: * Anna Hunter of Long Way Homestead championing Canadian wool * Fiona’s foray into natural dyeing - check out her gorgeous project on her personal Instagram * Upcoming retreats to look forward to! And we definitely vibed on fave aesthetics and designers. Love this Rug sweater, a free pattern by Junko Okamoto, that Fiona knit: Sadly, I wasn’t able to find a photo of Amanda’s fave knit, but it was the Antonia cardigan by Cocoknits. If you were at Knit City Vancouver this weekend, I hope you had an amazing time! And if you feel like checking out a yarn show in Canada, the next one that Amanda and Fiona will be hosting is in Toronto, 27-29 March 2026 - and in their new venue. I’m hoping to be there too! You can find Knit Social on the web, or via IG at Knit Social or KnitCityCanada. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Sep 21, 2025 · 53 min
S1 E6: Bold and Unapologetic with Felicia Lo
Hello yarn friends - Welcome back to our regularly scheduled podcast… It was an unintended break in the podcast these last couple of weeks and I won’t lie that I was wondering if I was cursed to not get a podcast past a fifth episode! Things have been BUSY over here, and that’s more I’ll tell you about soon, but it has meant that with a few things happening all at the same time, and some more travel, that something had to give and sadly that meant pushing back the podcast for a couple of weeks. To make it up to you though, I’m delighted to bring a banger of an episode and one that I recorded while I was in Vancouver very briefly on my summer hols. My visits to Vancouver have often meant flying catch ups with Felicia Lo, the Founder and Creative Director of SweetGeorgia, and my former boss! I was SweetGeorgia’s first sales agent, and that start when I first moved to the UK set me on this amazing journey and love affair with yarn and a career in the craft industry. Listening to the episode again while I was editing it gave me a renewed awareness of Felicia’s gentle, quiet confidence - in colour, craft, and in how she’s run her business for the last 20 years. And yes! This is the 20th anniversary of SweetGeorgia! And how far they’ve come - from the big, bold, unapologetic colour of their hand dyed yarns, to sharing spinning, weaving, knitting and crochet knowledge via the School of SweetGeorgia, to the community of makers that they’re building - this is a company where colour changes everything. In our conversation, I was reminded that Felicia is a kindred spirit in starting new projects, and I love that she sees SweetGeorgia as continuous Work in Progress. We have a shared passion for lifelong learning and, as it turns out, a shared obsession with falling down rabbit holes when we’re learning something new! Right now Felicia’s obsession is knitting machines, and I for one and looking forward to more content about that on the School of SweetGeorgia! From circular sock knitting we even veered into a discussion about AI and where our crafts might be in the future, plus a shared love for the patterns of Caitlin Hunter from Boyland Knitworks. The circular sock knitting machine we mention is the Erlbacher, and that desert island yarn of Felicia’s is their new Trifecta Fine, a yummy blend of Bluefaced Leicester wool, mohair and silk. I might have picked up a skein at the studio shop to try myself and have plans to cast on soon so will report back! Keep finding joy in your making, and enjoy the episode! Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Aug 31, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min
S1 E5: Smiles and Sunshine with Salina Jane
Hello yarn friends - I’m away in Shetland at the moment on one of my Stitchtopia tours. While I was re-listening to this episode of the Make Joy Podcast, I was struck by how the themes of community and shared connections in our knitting are the same wherever makers come together - just like they have on this trip. Once again, a group of knitters who don’t know each other have been joined up and made new friends as they travel and learn together, united by the yarn that connects us. My guest on the podcast this week is Salina Jane of Salina Jane Art, a British artist and avid knitter of Indo-Caribbean descent. If you’ve been to a yarn show in the UK, chances are you’ve possibly run into Salina - either as an enthusiastic knitter embracing the yarn fumes, or perhaps selling her own illustrations of knitters, spinners and makers, or even drawing vignettes of the festival. Salina and I talk about community a lot on this episode of the podcast, and the joy that comes from knitting and how fortunate we feel to be part of it. Art and making have always been part of Salina’s life, so it makes sense that one the subjects she returns to again and again in her art are makers. Salina has a bespoke series of illustrations called Let Me Illustrate Your Life and Loves that capture an individual’s personal story, memories, hobbies and the things that matter to them. As a storyteller, Salina is also conscious of the opportunities she’s had in spaces where she hasn’t seen herself reflected so it’s incredibly important to her that the stories she tells showcase those who are underrepresented. Our conversation meanders quite so this is a longer episode, but hopefully you can feel the joy we had while we were recording it! And for those curious about Salina’s favourite knits they can be found on Ravelry here (in no particular order): * Edie * Love Note * Ranunculus * Limestone Pavement Beret * A “vanilla” sock (I’ve linked to my own favourite, which is the Rose City Rollers) I hope you enjoy this episode as much as Salina and I enjoyed chatting together. Salina will also be drawing Make Joy this year, so make sure you come along and say hello! Speaking of, do you have your tickets yet? Next week’s episode is one I recorded while I was in Canada, so make sure you’re subscribed! It’s a colourful discussion you won’t want to miss. Keep making joy! Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Aug 24, 2025 · 55 min
S1 E4: Fun in the Sun with Knitting Magazine Editor Christine Boggis
Hello yarn friends - It looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous sunny day today and I’m enjoying watching the light over the rooftops as I write this to you this morning. It feels like an extra gift to have this sunny weather for the bank holiday weekend, and as I was editing this episode it had me thinking that there might still be time to nip down to the coast for a wee swim on Monday. Fingers crossed I can make that happen. My guest on this week’s episode of the Make Joy Podcast is Christine Boggis, who this year is celebrating 10 years as editor of Knitting magazine here in the UK! Christine and I only ever seem to see each other at yarn shows or professional events so when Christine invited me down to Lewes for a visit that would include a trip to wool shop Ida’s House, some sea bathing in nearby Brighton, and wrapping up the day with cocktails and knitting, of course my answer was a big HELL YES! When Christine isn’t busy with the editing of Knitting magazine (often working on five issues at the same time!), she’s also a knitwear designer with multiple books including the ones we talk about on this episode: JOMO Knits and No-Sew Knitting. I love Christine’s approach to knitwear design which is for her patterns to bring as much enjoyment to the knitter as she’s had creating and knitting it herself. This is also means making designs as minimally anxiety inducing as possible, which I think is something all knitters can appreciate. In addition to JOMO (which is the JOY of missing out), we also briefly talk about some of Christine’s upcoming issues of the magazine which include one that is all on British wool, and another on dopamine dressing. This one sounds wild and I can’t wait for it to land in my mailbox! Speaking of which, Christine has offered all listeners of the Make Joy Podcast a discount on a subscription to Knitting magazine. Due to summer hols and this episode coming out a little quicker than expected, the discount code isn’t available yet but should be up from next week post-bank holiday. I’ll update the show notes when it’s available so do check back! Enjoy the episode! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Aug 17, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
S1 E3: SOAK-ing it up with Jacqueline Sava
Hello yarn friends - A theme of friendship and fabulous makers is emerging on The Make Joy Podcast with this next episode and my special guest Jacqueline Sava, the founder, creator and Director of Possibilities at Soak. Jacqueline and I have known each other a long time since my Toronto days (and full disclosure, I was once one a sales agent for Soak here in the UK) so it’s always nice to have a catch up. Our get togethers usually involve indulging Jacqueline’s desire to soak up as much creative inspiration as she can when in London on business and that includes favourite things like brunch and vintage shopping in Notting Hill, hopping on the train to Windsor or cocktails at random, fun places in town. So this was a different kind of visit this time around. I love it when I get to chat about the business side of things in the craft industry. Jacqueline is so generous with the support she gives back to makers in sharing her knowledge and I know this first-hand, as I once had the opportunity to take her course, From Maker to Making a Living, at George Brown College in Toronto. Education and teaching is a one of Jacqueline’s core values and that passion shines through. As a relatively new maker at the time, taking Jacqueline’s course was eye-opening. I learned so much about how makers need to value not only the work that they’re creating, but themselves too. And it made me understand so much more of the everything that goes on behind the scenes for a maker, including those hidden costs, that those of us purchasing a finished product like a make, or a skein of hand-dyed yarn will never see. Our conversation felt like a good reminder, especially as we inch closer to colder weather and “the season of making”. Make sure you subscribe to Jacqueline’s new Substack Maker to Making a Living where she’ll be sharing more of her knowledge and things she’s learned as a maker herself and at the helm of Soak. Plus, we talk about other kinds of making, like growing cut flower gardens and maple syrup! I hope you enjoy our chat. Keep making joy, Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Aug 10, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
S1 E2: A Great London Crawl with Rachel Brown
Hello yarn lovers - I’m delighted to bring you this second episode of the podcast with very special guest, Rachel Brown. Rachel was more or less the first knitter I met when I moved to London and she became my BKFF in short order. Always a good sport, Rach is the knitter you want in your corner when you’re coming up with crazy ideas like creating a yarn crawl in London, or yarn road trip events, or just maybe an independent yarn show (ours was called Yarnporium!). After eight awesome years collaborating on Yarn in the City, Rachel and her family moved back to the States and we folded the business, but of course we’ve stayed in touch. Rachel was recently in London and we were able to have a catch up that took us from East London and Stratford to Richmond in the west (although you can trust two expats to debate whether or not Richmond actually still counts as part of London!). On this episode we chat through our various spots that we visited during the day including: * V&A East Storehouse * Wahaca Islington - their classic margarita recipe is one of the best Loop London - celebrating their 20th anniversary this year! * Liberty - where we saw the patchwork house by the Patchwork Collective which celebrates 150 years of Liberty (and also took a mini detour through Sostrene Grene) * Knit With Me - one of London’s newest yarn shops, located in Richmond * before finishing the day with a G&T admiring the view from The Roebuck It felt weird for both of us to be chatting again podcast-style but we did chat about what we were working on. Rach is working up a cowl from the leftovers of the (latest) sweater she knit for me, which was the Polina Pullover by Teri Lutsak in G-uld yarn that was a kit from Loop. I‘m working on the Stripe Hype sweater by Veronica Lindberg but in some bold, bright colour - and which my mother has fallen in love with since I’ve been in Canada on holiday. Guess who’ll be getting it when it’s finished? It was a fantastic day out. Huge thanks to Susan at Loop who let us sneak in to say hi and make a cheeky purchase, and also to Carol and Coral at Knit With Me who likewise allowed us in for a quick peek at the shop! Apologies to Wool Decanted who I refer to as Yarn Decanted on the episode and who don’t have sheep on an island in the Thames near Twickenham but who DO have a gorgeous, local yarn with traceable provenance of the wool coming from small producers in Devon and Wales. Big, HUGE thanks again to Rachel for humouring another of my ideas and agreeing to be a guest on my new podcast. You can find Rachel on Instagram, which is also a great way to reach her if you wanted to enquire about her tech editing services… We talked so long there’s not really an “outro” for this episode but I can say that next week’s guest on the podcast is another friend who was recently passing through London! Jacqueline Sava from Soak and I talk about making, and making a living at it. Stay tuned for that one next week. And of course, do let me know what you think about the podcast, and if there are things you’d like to hear me chat about with future guests. Thanks for listening, Allison x This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Aug 3, 2025 · 1 hr
S1 E1: A Little Aleks Byrd-ie Taught Me All About Estonia
Hello yarn friends! The first episode of the Make Joy podcast is finally here - thank you for listening! When doing something scary or outside of your comfort zone, it’s always great to have a friend along for the ride, and I’m so happy that Aleks Byrd agreed to be with me on this first episode. Aleks and I travelled to Estonia earlier this year on a knitting retreat with Stitchtopia holidays and it was amazing to see the country that Aleks loves so much, and learn about it through their knitting traditions. On this first episode of the podcast we chat about Aleks’ Estonian knitting heritage, her design style, plus the inspiration for her new book due out later this year with Laine Publishing. And there’s a lightening round too! As Aleks says in this episode, it’s always fun to have a yarny chat and I hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording our time together. Let me know what you think! And stay tuned, there’ll be another new episode next week! Keep making joy, Allison PS - Here’s that amazing rolled cake with cream and berries that Aleks and I talk about on the episode: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com
Jul 31, 2025 · 2 min
Introducing… the Make Joy podcast!
Hello friends and yarn lovers - Welcome to the Make Joy podcast! This is a secret project that I’ve been working on for a while now, and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I’ve enjoyed recording it. The teaser will let you know everything that I’m hoping this podcast will be: yarn, travel, craft, knitting, creativity and more - and I hope you’ll tune in for each episode. Series One starts this Sunday, 3 August, with new episodes coming out every Sunday. More soon, and thanks for listening! Warmly, Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Make Joy Podcast

S2: Teaser

S1 E10: Celebrating Big Dreams and 20 Years of Loop with Susan Cropper

S1 E9: Knitters’ Question Time presented by Wild & Woolly and Knit 15

S1 E8: Knitting 365 with Martyn

S1 E7: A Little Social Knitting With Amanda and Fiona

S1 E6: Bold and Unapologetic with Felicia Lo

S1 E5: Smiles and Sunshine with Salina Jane

S1 E4: Fun in the Sun with Knitting Magazine Editor Christine Boggis

S1 E3: SOAK-ing it up with Jacqueline Sava

S1 E2: A Great London Crawl with Rachel Brown

S1 E1: A Little Aleks Byrd-ie Taught Me All About Estonia

Introducing… the Make Joy podcast!