Craft Talkin'

Jamie and Merion meet the amazing Paula Milner, aka The Crafty Lass! If she hasn’t pinged up on your crafting radar yet, you’re going to be very excited to meet her, as we talk about her brilliant new book, Simple Paper Flowers. .You can find out more about Paula’s crafting life on her website and on instagram and see all of her gorgeous fabric designs, collaborations with the Indian Block Print Company and with Aurifil threads. We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas - and requests for guests you’d love to hear on the show - please drop us a line at hello@crafttalkin.com! Don’t forget to like and subscribe for lots more juicy pods coming soon!

Jamie and Merion meet the FABULOUS Lauren Willis, aka Manatee Squares, to chat about her new, gorgeous book, Filet Crochet to Wear, from David & Charles.Loz, as she’s known, chats about her love of crochet, maths and her beloved lurchers, Wally and Roxy, and how filet crochet became a favourite technique.This hilarious episode travels from Pokemon to dog grooming, via the trauma of making Instagram reels, taking photos of herself and her favourite colours - inclusive sizing, writing patterns, where to sell them and what has worked and what hasn’t. It’s a really illuminating chat if you love Lauren’s work, but also a great inspiration if you’re a crochet designer starting out!You won’t be surprised that Merion is even more of a superfan by the end….You can find Lauren on her website, Manatee Squares and on instagram here.Timestamps:00:00 From Pokémon to Filet Crochet03:02 Embracing Inclusive Sizing08:03 The Art of Fillet Crochet24:47 Making Patterns Your Own25:34 The Struggles of Taking Photos and Posing26:31 Colour Preferences and Design Choices28:19 Selling Patterns on Multiple Platforms38:01 Insights from Dog Grooming50:33 The Bond Between Dog Groomers and Dogs51:07 Trends in the Dog Grooming Industry54:09 The Origin of 'Manatee Squares'58:42 Future Plans and Secret Projects01:06:33 Favourite Ice Cream Flavours and FilmsDon’t forget to subscribe to Craft Talkin’ and tell all your craft friends to do the same!You can send us all your thoughts, suggestions and Dad jokes for Jamie to hello@crafttalkin.com

In this jam packed episode, we talk to the legendary Janie Crowfoot about her brilliant new book, The Complete Crochet Handbook, and all about the techniques that she uses for her blankets and projects. This is a book aimed at intermediate crocheters, although it does contain the basics - it’s a great book for anyone who wants to improve their techniques, too! We talk about colour, design, the creative process, and the inspiration for Janie’s projects, crochet on the high street and favourite ice cream flavours - it’s a great chat! We couldn’t let her go without musing about Justin Bieber wearing one of her designs - and as an homage to the last time we had Janie on the LoveCrafts Show, Jamie wrote a new quiz, “Flower or Glower?” just to keep us on our toes!Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Catching Up 02:59 Discussing Jane Crowfoot's New Book 06:05 Exploring Colour Theory and Beading 08:25 Unleashing Creativity with Cables and Mosaic Crochet 16:22 Jane Crowfoot's Journey as a Crochet Designer 32:03 Finding Inspiration 33:10 Exploring Creative Paths 36:06 Experiencing Different Levels of Inspiration 41:37 Flower or Glower - The Return48:49 Justin Bieber Wearing Jane's Design 54:28 Crochet in High Street Fashion 56:40 Changing Landscape of Content Consumption 01:06:32 The Importance of Self-Care 01:19:25 Expanding the Market with TranslationsYou can find Janie’s brilliant new book here:https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/jane-crowfoot/complete-crochet-handbook/9781800922419Don’t forget to subscribe to Craft Talkin’ and tell all your craft friends to do the same! You can send us all your thoughts, suggestions and Dad jokes for Jamie to hello@crafttalkin.com

Welcome to the first episode of Craft Talkin' in which your hosts Merion and MrXStitch explain how they ended up Craft Talkin'.It's a tale of socks and dogs and sausage rolls!Timestamps:00:00:20 - Intro00:04:00 - Merion's craft backstory00:06:30 - MrXStitch's craft backstory00:12:00 - Our favourite episodes of the LoveCrafts Show00:19:00 - Our favourite books00:26:00 - The last good film they watched00:32:00 - Their favourite foods00:36:00 - Their favourite ice cream flavours00:38:00 - Their favourite bands/music00:42:00 - MerionMakes00:45:00 - NeedleXChange and XStitch Magazine00:48:00 - What Craft Talkin' is going to be, er, talkin about!Craft Talkin' is your new favourite craft podcast in which Merion "MerionMakes" Willis and Jamie "MrXStitch" Chalmers talk around the world of craft and interview their craft heroes.Find us on Instagram here.

Merion & Mr X Stitch are bringing the craft podcast thunder to your ears.Craft Talkin' will feature interviews with your favourite craft superstars as well as that special kind of banter that only Merion and Mr X can deliver.