What's In My Yarn Bag? with Meghan from Pom Pom Quarterly
I couldn't share just one yarn bag from the Pom Pom Quarterly dynamic duo without sharing a peek inside the other! Lydia gave us a peek inside her bag a few weeks ago and this week we get to learn a bit more about Meghan's stash. Take it away Meghan! Let's chat about yarn and all of its awesomeness...
Hi Meghan! What do you typically keep inside your yarn bag? Give us the grand tour!My yarn bag can be a big jumble but I've been trying to be good recently and keep things light for summer. These days in addition to the project (or two!) I'm working on, I like to carry my iPad, my Chiaogoo Interchangeable set, small scissors, a little tin with tapestry needles and stitch markers in and some scrap yarn. Right now there is also a package of wasabi peas!
Do you know how to knit and crochet? When did you learn? How did you learn?
Yep, I am bi-craftual :) I learned to knit from my high school boyfriend's mom, who was lovely and bought me a whole sweater's worth of yarn for my birthday, sat me down, and had me knit a whole sweater on circular needles. It was the best introduction to knitting I could have had.
I learned to crochet a few years later on a visit to my grandmother in India. Her hands were too weak to show me herself, but she sent me next door to her friend Jane's house, where Jane managed to teach me in spite of my left handedness. All the crochet work in India is very fine, so I learnt on a very small hook - somehow it managed to stick!
Are you working on any interesting projects at the moment? We want to see!
Oooh yes! In the photos, you can see my Mountain Moss shawl from Pom Pom Issue 5 in progress. The yarn might just be the most divine thing I have ever used. It's Skein Queen Oasis Grande and it's 50/50 camel and silk.
There's also a little peek at a skein I'm using for another project from Issue 5 - the Fieldwork Cardigan. I am knitting it in the quite daring Coquette colourway in Madelinetosh Sock. I can't wait for it to be done! Every wardrobe needs a hot pink cardigan, no?
What is your favorite knit/crochet item that you have made so far?
Tough one! One of my favourite projects, and the one I probably get the most compliments on when I wear it, is my Beatnik sweater by Norah Gaughan. It began my love affair with cables that continues to this day (my Quadrillion pattern in the most recent issue of Pom Pom is a case in point!).
Do you like to carry your yarn bag with you to work on your projects in public? Where do you feel most comfortable knitting/crocheting?
Definitely! I don't go anywhere without something to keep my hands busy, even if I don't think I'll get the chance to knit or crochet. It's not fun to suddenly find yourself in a situation where you could be knitting. I knit and crochet quite a lot on the bus or tube to and from work and I am known to get my knitting out when I go to the pub quiz with friends. On a recent trip to Australia, l knit while at an Australian Rules football game - I was a little nervous but it turned out to be a great conversation starter with some other spectators!
What do you love most about yarn?
Haha, what don't I love about yarn?! I guess I just got that gene from somewhere that makes people go mmmmhhhhh when they see a gorgeous colourway or feel a beautiful fibre. I am a complete sucker for hand-dyed yarns. But the best thing about yarn is all that potential. I remember reading a line from Annie Proulx's book The Shipping News, when the little girl is learning to knit. "'It's kind of a trick, Dad, because it's just a long, long fat string and it turns into a scarf." And it is this amazing trick that we knitters and crocheters all know the secret to!
Thank you so much for sharing, Meghan! I agree, I love being in on the secret tricks of knitting and crochet. :)
You can also take a tour of the Pom Pom studio here.
I hope you are having a great week so far!