IAPM43:The Circle Due
This episode concludes the interview with Allison of Circles Knitting Salon. This episode continues to explore her knitting store dream and what has become of it since she started the store.
The annual Bazaar Bizarre is Dec. 9th.
Nicole the Geek has started a group for It’s a Purl Man listeners on Ravelry
Pam of Lick My Sticks is holding court at Eva’s Yarn Shop in Fairhaven, MA on Dec. 9th at 10am. It’s a Ravelry brunch, but even if you are not a member yet I am sure that you are welcome to join the knitting mayhem.
(oh yeah, this is episode 43 not 42 as I say in the show. What can I say… at 6:00am I can’t count)
December 5th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Great two episodes. I really enjoyed hearing Allison’s story. I think many of us have dreamed of having a yarn shop. And I really appreciate hearing about creative alternatives to standard business models. Thank you both so much for sharing such knowledge and the development of ideas put into action. An inspiring story to be sure.
And on the topic of heavy metals… having a sensitivity and health issues that involve metals… is there a list of safe yarns for us fragile and susceptible types? Will Circles Knitting Salon have a category for metals-free yarn?
Once again many thanks. I very much enjoy your podcast.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I throughly enjoyed part 2 of Allison’s amazing story, particularly on heavy metals toxicity caused by yarn dyes and were very relieved for hear that she can still enjoy knitting with color and was able to source colourful yarns that she could still knit with.
I had a similar experience on a much lesser scale a few years back and was not able to knit with any colourful wool/man made fibers for over 12 months due to suffering from CFS and chemical sensitivity. I suspected that it was set off by the chemicals used to to dye the yarn, but back then didn’t realise the connection to the use of heavy metals in the dyeing process. I was lucky enough to recover from this exposure after my naturopath prescribed some good supplements, which I still take regularly, which enable me to knit with most of the lovely colourful indie dyed yarns without any problems.
As I was listening to Allison I was sitting knitting my Briar Rose 4th of July Icarus and hoping that Briar Rose Fibers was one of the yarn dyers that didn’t use any nasty heavy metals when dyeing their yarns, which I was pretty sure they didn’t, so thank you Allison for confirming this. I would be quite happy to just knit with Briar Rose for the rest of my life too.
Again thank you for raising my awareness on this issue and as I know some local dyers I will pass this on. It was only the other day that I was telling a dyer that comes to our City Nits circle that she needs to take precautions when dyeing her yarns and make sure she wears her masks and gloves. She had dye stains on her hands, so I will be definitely letting her know about Allison’s experiences.
Agree with Mary it would be great if Circles could make a list of metal free yarns for us susceptible people.
Knitty love and again thanks for a great show.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Guido and Alison,
I found these two episodes very interesting and also very moving. I think that the no frills presentation really worked well. I could feel the warmth that you have for the community through the speakers.
December 10th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Thanks for sharing these two episodes with us. They were very moving and motivating! I really appreciate the podcast!
December 11th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Really, really great episodes with Allison. I thank her for her honesty. Her story is very heartfelt. I could relate to all of it and found connections to her thru many of her issues. Thanks Guido!
December 11th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
This is a link to the Circles Forum where Allison and others discuss this topic.
http://circles-salon.com/forum/index.php?topic=207.0
It has a bunch of places to start. (If I get motivated enough I’ll make a list on my blog.)
December 11th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Thanks to you both for these two really fascinating episodes. The second part was especially informative, interesting and quite inspirational. If anyone is compiling a list of companies that don’t use heavy metals and chemicals in their dyeing processes I’d really be interested in seeing it. It was nice to hear some of my favorites during the podcast. Thanks again!
December 12th, 2007 at 6:17 am
[…] that recently really struck a chord with me. It’s a Purl Man did a recent show with the owner of a yarn shop in Boston in two parts. It’s an interesting story about owning a yarn shop but also more importantly […]
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 pm
these two interviews were really great! but….i was left wondering what i could do to help in the development of the circles community center…i don’t live in boston or anywhere near if you ask me. let me know if there’s anything i can do to support what sounds like a wonderful initiative!
z
January 8th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Such and intelligent and nurturing interview. I have recently heard about antimony being present in water bottles. We’re very big on tap water in our house and thought maybe Allison and others should be aware. Many wishes for improved health and continued love and support.
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2006/12/21/bottle-study.html
January 18th, 2008 at 11:47 am
I’m catching up on Podcasts, and finally got to listen to this. Both episodes were wonderful. I appreciate Allison’s honesty and candor in the interviews and I feel like I learned quite a bit. Thank you.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:21 am
That was the most inspirational interview I’ve ever listened to! Thanks so much for sharing that with us!