Trenton Reynolds: Excuse the interruption. Before we get into this episode, I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that there's a lot going on right now with the COVID virus that's going around and all the anxiety that surrounds that. And there is no mention of any of that in this episode because it was recorded before all of this has happened. And I wanted to take a moment to say that we sincerely hope everybody's well and enduring this really dramatic time well. And our hearts and prayers are with you. And here is the episode. ♪
Sabrina Ward Harrison: This is Room in the Trees, a podcast about living a creative life. Room in the Trees is hosted by Trent Reynolds and me, Sabrina Ward-Harrison.
Trenton Reynolds: Show notes including pictures, links, video, and more for every episode can be found at roominthetrees.com.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: You can follow us on Instagram at Sabrina Ward-Harrison and at Trent Reynolds Art. And now, here's this week's episode. Our special guest today is Amy Small, who is the founder of Knit Collage.
Amy Small: Thank you so much for having me, Serena.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: I've been personally just crazy about, once I met you, we met in March. my gosh my brain where did we meet we met in Arizona I love once I discovered you did you were wearing this gorgeous sweater that I was crazy about these like sexy jeans and cute little heel booties or something I was just like I love her whole look
Amy Small: I can't even remember what I was wearing but I'm glad it had that exactly yeah
yeah
Sabrina Ward Harrison: And then when I discovered your yarn that you create and design, and then I was thinking back in the day when I had my braids in my hair and lived in Bonny Doon, I'm thinking I probably had some of her yarn in my hair that I probably bought at a knitting place in San Francisco. So I've been so inspired by your sense of color and design and working in a material that I've never, ever, ever explored. And just also the way you collaborate and work with other people and working in India for the past 10 years have collaborated with wonderful women over there. And so I'm just really happy to have you on. I love what you're doing and I love how you're engaging with your community. So welcome.
Amy Small: Thank you so much. I am so psyched to be here.
So thank you.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Can you tell us a little bit about what your kind of creative professional creative background is?
Amy Small: Yeah, I'd love to. So I started right out of school as a sweater designer and I was like the assistant, assistant, assistant sweater designer. And yeah. That kind of came to be because I took a class at a local yarn store near where my college was and got hooked on knitting. And there was no turning back because I think creative people be into this because with knitting, you're creating your own fabric like you can knit. Of course, you can choose the yarn and you can choose any yarn, but you can stripe it. You can knit a cable. You can knit a holy stitch. You can do whatever you want. Yeah. And it's this level of creativity that's almost like you're creating every single thing you want to see in your design, whereas you're... with fabric, it's like, okay, here's your fabric. And you can do a lot of stuff with fabric, of course, but knitting has this wonderful freedom to it that I always loved from day one. So I started working as an assistant at a... at a company called Free People, which is based in Philly where I grew up. And it was an amazing experience because I worked underneath this woman who was one of the founding members of Urban Outfitters. She's been there forever and she designs like the interiors of the Free People stores. If you ever go in the Free People stores, it's all this like incredible hand-carved teak and patchwork curtains and it's just awesome. Yeah. So I got to work under her, and what was really fantastic was that she just had no staff. So it was just me and her, but we traveled most of the year. So we were in India and Hong Kong and Taiwan. And really, I was deep learning about knitting machines and computer knitting and yarn construction and stuff like that. So it was really... cool training, I guess you would say. And I guess what happened is about five or six years in, I just started to burn out on the fashion world because at least at Free People, it was like, Come up with 20 new cardigans every month. And after a while, you're like, why do people need this many cardigans? And I can't make everyone amazing if I'm constantly, you know, at this, moving at this pace. So...
Trenton Reynolds: Well, how do, Amy, how do you, how do you get from going to, you know, starting at a local... um sewing store taking a class and then all of a sudden you're traveling the world
Amy Small: i know it was a major company that's a huge jump it seems like well i got an internship there my junior year summer and that was just a luck thing like it was you know unpaid and i got my foot in the door and I saw this lady, Mary, who's the person I told you about. I saw her, but she was barely there. And I just had this, I think I had this gut feeling inside. Like, I need to be working with her. I need to, like, follow her. I need to, like... just kick some butt and like make it work. And I remember like little things like she, she was always the head sweater designer and she now, she does a lot of things at the company, but she now has a line within free people called FP one where she just does whatever she wants. And it's amazing. It's amazing. And you should go check it out. But, um, And one day when I was interning, she was putting, she was doing some wholesale trade show in New York City at like in the piers in New York City. And I got to go with her. And I remember like I showed up on time and her own paid assistant was like an hour late.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: And I just was hustling, you know, I was just really excited.
Amy Small: So I think that left this impression and me. I got hired right out of college to work for her. And when I was working with her, I truly had no life outside of work. I was not doing a yoga class. I was not reading a book. I was just working and... she set that example because that's sort of how she lived too. She didn't have a lot of balance. And so I think that's part of the reason I quit is it was, it was a little bit burning out on fast fashion. And then it was a little bit like, this is this incredible job and opportunity. And yet I feel like I don't have any friends. Like this was most of my twenties.
And yeah,
Amy Small: I don't feel like I have any other hobbies or interests. And so I think both those things combined led me to take this chance in starting my own business.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: And what was the vision for your business when you started it?
Amy Small: Well, it's funny because I didn't know a lot about the hand knitting industry before. besides taking that class like way years before, but I learned to hand spin yarns by this woman named Lexi Bogar. And she's, she wrote this book called hand spun revolution. And she made this yarn. It's like, it's hand spun art and each little ball would sell for $50. And this was a long time ago. So it was really expensive, but it was art. There was like flowers and sparkles and different, like all sorts of different materials. And some of it was to be knit with, but most of it was just art. Like it was yarn. Kind of like when you're talking about putting stuff in your hair, like really cool things that would have gone, it would have been amazing. So I learned from her while I was working at Free People. And I think I just couldn't shake the idea that it would be so fun to pursue this more. I spent $500 on a spinning wheel, which was like the most expensive thing I ever bought. And I just taught myself to spin and got really into it. I would take it everywhere with me and just At one point, I think I had like 10 sample yarns and I decided to just email different yarn store owners email addresses that I found on the Internet. And one responded and was like, I'll take 10 of each, please. So I was like, oh, my God, I have a business and I, you know, I had no idea how to make any of it. But in my mind. And I really didn't know about knitting and I didn't know about knitting patterns. And I think that's been the biggest evolution in the past couple years is that now I don't spin as much. I knit more and I'm more interested in taking my knitting skills to another place. Yeah. So that's sort of been the evolution now, but that's in a nutshell, that's how I got started. I, the woman who responded owns, she still owns this store called loop in London and it's a really nice store. And she reordered, I went to a trade show and I think I got like eight more stores and it slowly grew from there.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: But very slowly, I would say. How many stores would you say you have yarn in now?
Amy Small: Oh, it's so interesting. So I probably in my heyday, I was at like 200 stores, but I've shifted my business to be more online in the past couple years. And that's been really freeing for me because when I was selling to yarn stores, most of them, aside from a few bigger online retailers, are owned... They're like mom and pop shops, and each one has their own aesthetic and their own thing that's happening. And so it was like selling to all these different people from Oklahoma to LA. Each one was different, and now with the shift online, I... feel like I can just put out what I want to put out and they can come and order if they want or they don't. And I don't really try as hard for the stores. So my business for shops has gone down, but I've been able to build a connection with our own customers, which has been awesome. And I never had that before. Wow.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Wow. And so now it's just so exciting because I remember seeing something when I looked at you up that like Mark Jacobs had some of your yarn in one of his in the show last year or somewhere.
Amy Small: Yeah, that was exciting. I was really hoping he was going to actually like, you know, add it to the line, but it was only in the runway show. So it's kind of a bummer, but it was cool. And there was some famous model who I like did not know at all wearing it. But that was really cool. Yeah.
Yeah.
Amy Small: But it's been interesting because I'll have things like that happen or Tori Birch recently contacted me to see about the yarn. I feel like I'll have things like that and it's great publicity, but it's been really empowering to feel like I can build the business on my own by creating my own designs, yarns, and connecting with the customers my own than having to rely on stores or other companies for sales or to stay viable, basically.
Trenton Reynolds: Did you have any sense of what was involved in running a business or creating a business before you started? Zero.
Amy Small: Zero? No. Zero. Zero business plan.
Trenton Reynolds: Um, yeah, it was, was that overwhelming or was it just something you felt confident would come with time?
Amy Small: Yeah, it was hard. So I, um, when I started my business, I worked freelance for like nine different companies as a sweater designer. And I even had an assistant to help me do that. So it wasn't until four years in that I actually quit those and was able to support myself through the business. Um, yeah. But yeah, it's been really hard and I have gone, I always say the financial piece of it, which probably a lot of people say has been the hardest and have had some really hard years where I just feel like I have to learn everything the hard way and still am learning everything the hard way, but yeah. The year my five-year-old was born, which I think it would have been like six years ago, was a really hard year for me. And everything kind of came to a head. My husband, who works in finance, was handling our finances for Nick Kalash, but not telling me kind of what the health of the business was and everything. I can't blame him. It was my fault for not being on top of it. But we got to the end of the year and I realized I had lost all this money. I had done some accessories for anthropology and had really gotten nickel and dimed, but you know, X that times a lot more. And so it was one of those like kind of come to Jesus moments. Like you got to get your shit together. And so I did, I heard a business coach and she helped me a ton and she, I think at some point I just had this big mental shift that the more I learn and the more I inquire within, because so much I think of why my business doesn't go further is about fears I have. And some of that is fears from that year, like where I lost all that money, but it's like, it's like calcified fear that just getting, I don't know, layers of stuff, um, it's been hard as things get better to shake. Like one issue I have all the time is I never have enough yarn. I never order enough yarn. So for our last knit along, we sold out of some colors. And in two hours of the open, you know, the kits going live and, And that's really coming from this place of fear that no one's going to buy anything. So it's really hurt me. So I, yeah, I wish I had had a little more, you know, written a business plan or done some classes. I think it would have helped.
But...
Amy Small: All these years later, I'm really grateful that I get to do what I love. That feeling and learning all the stuff I had to learn all the hard way to get where I am now, I'm really, really, really, really grateful.
Trenton Reynolds: It seems like there would be a depth of understanding that can only come from making all those mistakes. I don't know. I can see the advantage of going to a school and learning how to do those things in a more traditional way or something. But, you know, we're in kind of a time that's so much in flux and business methods and practices are changing. So it seems like maybe that's not even possible to do exactly what or get the education that you need for exactly what you're trying to do other than just to muddle through it.
Amy Small: Totally. And I try to look at all those failures and mistakes as, okay, what am I learning? What am I hopefully not going to do again to move forward? And that's been a big shift. I think there was a lot of wallowing in it. Now when bad stuff happens, I'm a lot more resilient.
Yeah.
Amy Small: but it definitely there was some there was some serious nights on the bathroom floor but i think i had to go through it you know you had to kind of go through that this may be better for sure and who knows you know i i don't know who knows where it goes from here but i love
Trenton Reynolds: i love that serious nights on the bathroom floor That was like a great album. Right?
Sabrina Ward Harrison: There is nothing else. It might be the title of the episode.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Yeah, I think that calcified fear also, that's such a good way to describe that feeling. Just that old, tight... you can't even quite describe it but it's just the effect of it it's like yeah it's just calcified i feel like yeah it's hard to get out yeah and i do feel
Amy Small: like it lives like it's in my body in some ways like like i store it in my body and um I don't know. I just, I like this past year, I'm, I'm like crazy yoga person now. And I think it's really helped me and I don't even know how it's helping me, but I think it's like, yeah, it's helping me release some of those, um, old fears. Yeah.
I don't know.
Trenton Reynolds: There is a, there is a quote on your website under the about us on knit collage.com. It says at the heart of my business and the podcast is this idea that it's important to lean in, to lean into all the things that make us weird or set us apart. All of those interests that others might not get. I believe these are our secret weapons. They make us unique and, and that they become our superpowers. I hope to set an example of what's possible through my own work by creating a thriving business built on far-out yarn and pattern designs. If this piques your interest, definitely check it out. But I think that idea of leaning into those interests that others might not get, something spoke to me about that. What does that mean to you? What does it mean to lean into...
Amy Small: The things that make you... But yeah, I think looking at the business from the outside, the yarn is so wacky. And to be able to support my family with this and a whole lot of other people through the work that we're providing, it's mind blowing to me. Like, it's just so cool. And so I think that there's this part of me that wants to set an example, but also really wants to shine a light on other people doing this. Like, just living any kind of off-the-beaten path life in any way to show that it's possible. I think there's something my yoga teacher said on Monday or Sunday in a class that was like, I don't know what she was talking about, but she was, it made me think of knitting and with my designing. And it was kind of like, maybe it was yoga that helps you remember who you are and what I was think happened to me and maybe happens to a lot of people just growing up in the world is you grow up and a lot of your individuality gets stamped out by trying to fit in to whatever you're trying to fit in. I think, strangely, even having my business because I was trying so hard to not lose money in the early stages and really make it work, I focused so much on that. I lost touch from the like the childlike creativity and the self-expression I felt when I first started the business, just creating these like totally wacky yarns, you know? And so in the past couple of years, I've had a couple of knitting projects that have been, I can send you guys a picture if you're interested, but I knit this one sweater and it was this whole pivotal point for me because I had a garbage bag full of yarn. I'd sit on the couch every night and I'd just be like, this one, this one. And I really got into this kind of like this flow state with it and it became, it just became this piece that felt, um, like me, like me on the inside, but on the outside. And it, it, it reminds me kind of like Sabrina, when you're talking about your creative process that you teach people, like it was just like that. It didn't feel like following a knitting pattern X, Y, Z, and it had to be this way. It was like adding my own, you know, to it. Um, and So I think there's this part of the business and knitting and designing these yarns where I feel like it's actually bringing me back to that person I used to be that, you know, just the world thinks is too weird or whatever to whatever. And so I just want more people to bring that out in more people, if that makes any sense.
Trenton Reynolds: I think what you're talking about is so important and I see it so often I think in teaching art is you know there's this impulse to want to make things more palatable and I think what you're saying about like growing up and wanting to fit in and make yourself more like other people so that you have the sense of belonging or being alike or akin to somebody or some a group of people And that there's this kind of pressure to normalize yourself, and that weeds out these behaviors or appetites or interests that sit outside of that normalization. And I think in creating paintings or in creating artwork, I can feel it in myself. Like, you know, if I think something is too strange or if an idea doesn't seem to me like other people will get it, there's this kind of resistance to going down that path because, you know, there is a desire to sell work or to connect with an audience. But all these, I think when it comes down to it, like you don't feel fully expressed. Or don't feel like your work is going to really be truthful and resonant with you unless you lean into what makes you different, you know? So I think there's these conflicting feelings of like wanting to connect and be normal and then wanting also to feel authentic in your self-expression. And it can be really difficult to find that. That was so well said. Difficult to find that, you know, the correct balance there. But I think that's what this really stood out to me is like the impulse to go away from those things that make you weird or different or unique. you got to fight that and instead go the opposite way and really dig into that and try to understand it and try to connect with that and, and get it out into the world. And ultimately that's what people are going to really resonate with it because they're going to sense that authenticity and sense your passion for, you know, whatever it is that you connect with. I hope so. I think that's absolutely the case. Just looking at your website and poking around, there's a sense of identity there. And identity is uniqueness, right? It is something that can be pointed to and say, "This is different."
Amy Small: I am so curious if you guys would say this about your art, but I do feel like the more I lean into myself and whatever creative... impulses I feel with a sweater or any kind of design. Um, I feel like that's, maybe it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I do feel that that's what resonates with people the most. Like the more I get vulnerable with everything, the more that resonates with people. Um, because I think I know it might not seem, oh, a sweater, like that's not, it's not fine art. But this one that I knit and I spent like 10,000 hours on was like, it really was like this process of self-discovery. And it was like art to me. So it got vulnerable speaking about it because it really brought me back to being a kid and being creative as a kid and making like, friendship bracelets or whatever.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: I remember another thing I read on your blog was the quote about fear. Who was it by? Who was in the... um, it's on the, my tongue.
Amy Small: Oh, you must be digging deep in there.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Fear, fear is boring.
What's his name?
Sabrina Ward Harrison: He was in, what about Bob?
Amy Small: Oh, I love that one. Um, no, that is, that is, uh, you know, the actor in what about Bob? What's his name? Oh, my God. It's blanking. I don't know who you're talking about. Are you talking about?
No. Why are we all freaking out?
Trenton Reynolds: The Ghostbuster. The Ghostbuster. Yes, what's his name? Baby Steps. Bill Murray.
Bill Murray. Bill Murray. Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Yeah, that was a great, oh my God. So what's the quote?
Yeah.
Amy Small: It's about relaxation and it's about doing what makes you feel relaxed too, right?
Trenton Reynolds: I think I might have found it. Just a second. Oh my gosh, wow. It sums it up. So, well, I've mentioned this many times. I think the only reason I've had the career life that I've had is that someone told me some secrets early on about living. You can do the very best you can when you're very, very relaxed, no matter what it is or what your job it is.
Oh, yeah.
Trenton Reynolds: The more relaxed you are, the better you are. That's sort of why I got into acting. I realized that the more fun I had, the better I did it. And I thought that's a job I could be proud of. It's changed my life learning that. And it has made me better at what I do.
That's interesting.
Amy Small: Because I think it's the opposite of how we grow up. I don't know about you guys, but I was taught work hard. Life's a grind. Work hard. Yeah. It's not fun. You go to your nine to five and bleh. This is totally flipping that on its head. Not saying that we shouldn't work hard. I just think there's a balance there or a line there.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: No, but it's so... Our thinking is better. Our actions are better. Like, today I was filming and I was just... If I had read that quote, I would have done whatever it took to get relaxed before I friggin' started. And instead I didn't. And I was so taking it all so seriously that I was just... I don't feel like any of it flowed. And I'm like... I focused on just, okay... just and you can say just relax but you have to
Amy Small: easier said than done right there's so it's really hard when you have time my challenge is when i'm feeling overwhelmed because i have so much on my plate and so much to do like to be um balancing okay but you've got to do it in six hours right right plan being super relaxed and doing this thing you love but like making sure you're in this good flow state it's really hard it's really hard yeah
It is. Yeah.
Trenton Reynolds: When you were talking about taking that class in knitting or yarn, was it knitting or yarn making, that original class? It was knitting. It was a knitting class. It was a knitting class. And you talking about yarn and how it's this fundamental thing that you can have this control over what you're creating. And that whole, when you were saying all that, it's obvious that there's a sense that this makes to you, right? Like there's a belongingness or a natural connection that you have with this medium. And I see this or feel this in myself too. Like there are some mediums, whether it be paint or resin or working on wood versus canvas, or there are some things that where you find it, you're like this... I understand this. I get this. And I think that sense of belonging or understanding or resonance is also like, that's what creates this relaxation. This like, oh, like I get this. Something is right about this. Yes. Totally.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: And it just clicks. I wish we were all making together somehow. I think that's also the other part. It's like if I was just doing this, well, you do your podcast on your own. which is amazing, but I don't think I could do, but you're in conversation with people.
Amy Small: I really like it because I can, I've connected with so many amazing people and, um, the podcast kind of cuts through the BS conversations. Like, how's your day? I'm like, I'm going to ask you a question that's like, what's your biggest failure and let's go there. And so, um, It's been a really fun way to, it's like, I almost feel like I'm meeting these people for the first time. And yet we come out of it, um, feeling like we really know each other. And it's also been really cool from this business standpoint, because I feel like I've, um, built a network of, uh, most of the people who come on my show are, are in fiber arts, um, though I have had like florists and ceramic artists and things like that, but most of the people are like macrame embroiderers, somewhat in my kind of industry. So it's great. It's great people to know also because most of us are solo entrepreneurs that can really help each other out
Sabrina Ward Harrison: as well. Yep. Yep. And I think that's what we're experiencing too with, what we're doing. Well, I would love to hear about the knit-a-thon, right? Is that what it is?
Amy Small: Yeah, it's called a knit-a-long. Yes, it's so much fun. If you know anybody that knits, I suggest you send them our way. I was telling you both that the business has shifted more towards online and connections with our customers and building community around creative knitting in some way. And so the knit along is how I've been doing that. So in the middle, in our knit alongs, we run them twice a year. You get like a kit with the yarn you need to make this sweater. Sometimes we do shawls or pillows, whatever. And then you get the pattern, you get an online class where I teach you how to knit from start to finish and And then we have a private Facebook group where we really try and foster connection and some good discussions going on there. And we do Zoom calls online where we all get together and we knit together. So this is truly worldwide. We have people from Australia and Iceland.
Amy Small: It's really fun. We had... 570 people in the fall do it. It was a blast. Wow. I guess the other thing that's probably really different about, because a lot of people run knit-alongs, but the big difference is I try and put a heavy bent on creative self-expression and leaning into that, encouraging people to make the sweater their own in whatever way. Because of all those reasons I mentioned in the beginning with the fabric and the colors and the yarns, it's so easy to make a project exactly how you want it to be. So I try to encourage that and I do some blog posts around that. And the teaching is a big part of it too, because what I've found is, I have a lot of people coming through the knit alongs that have never knit a sweater before. So when you knit something for the first time and you finish it and you made it and you love it and you're wearing it, you feel on top of the world. You get this, uh, it's like anything, but with knitting, you really feel like, Oh my God, I did it. And what I've seen with some of the students that have gone through these knit-alongs is that that really has a ripple effect in their lives to creating confidence in other areas and trying new things and sort of embracing more of a lifelong learning mentality where they're learning new things in other areas of their life as well so it's been really cool to see so I know it seems like only yarn and knitting but I've seen the impact go beyond that in in the people that have taken part in its lives. So it's really fun. So that's coming up in April and I am behind the scenes, like planning away like a mad woman because to release a knitting pattern out into the world. So all of our patterns come in nine sizes, which is crazy to fit a huge range of body types. So we have to actually test that. each size. So we have test editors testing all these things to make sure that the yarn quantities are correct. There's no mistakes. It's pretty technical. Yeah. So behind the scenes, it's a lot of work just prepping for it, getting the classes ready, photo shoot, all sorts of stuff like that. So yeah, It's a lot of fun. Also, the sweaters I offer, they're so crazy. Some of them have 20 different types of yarn. So setting that up on my site from the back end, it's really fun. I do it to myself. But that's what makes it knit collage because no one else would do that crazy thing, you know? Yes.
Yes.
Amy Small: so that's what I'm in the middle of right now and I have a survey that goes out tomorrow I'm sure it'll be out by the time this goes live where where our community votes on what they want to knit so we have eight styles and we're trying to get it down to three or four okay that's what comes
Trenton Reynolds: next. That's so cool. So the best place for people to get involved is just by going to the website
Amy Small: and click on knit along. Yeah, that is probably the best place I have a, um, right on the website. There's, it says knit along and that's where you can sign up to, uh, be the first to know about all the knit along updates. I also can send you a link. I have a free class on how to knit one of our beginner shawls. That's really, it's really a pretty one. It's my favorite and it's really easy. And you get to try out like six different yarns of ours in one go, which is fun because some of them have flowers and some of them are just crazy textures and colors. So it's a fun one from the yarn standpoint. And yeah, learning new things as you knit too.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Do we know the date? Do we announce the date when this starts for you?
Amy Small: Yeah, the kits are going to go live on April 9th, and they're live for a week. And then we cast on... I think on the 20 something. So we give people some time to get their yarn because we do have a fair amount of people from other countries. So we cast on, I think we cast on the 27th. So about a week and a half after the club closes. So that gives people enough time to get their yarn.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: And did you have hats in anthropology this winter?
Amy Small: Yes, I did. So that's something. It burned me the first time around when I was telling you that was like five, six years ago. And I think I learned my lesson. So this time it actually was okay. But yes, we did. We had like 10% of my businesses finished things. for anthro and free people. I don't do any trade shows or anything. I just... So we'll see if that continues. I don't put much effort into it.
Wow.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: I had met you very shortly afterwards. I mean, I think it might have been... It was on the same trip. I was in Southern California and I went into anthropology and like... this is looking like 80s as though I kind of put it all together. I'm like, this is badass. Yeah. It was a huge featured thing right in the.
Amy Small: Oh, good. It's so hard to control. I will say it is so hard to control because it's like, The yarn is hand spun and then it's hand knitted and then it has to fit someone. So it's really hard. That side of it has been, that's why the yarn is so nice. It just is yarn. It can just be this beautiful ball of yarn and it doesn't have to fit anyone. It's all about what you do with it. And if it looks a little wonky from skein to skein, like that's part of it.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Right, right, right.
Trenton Reynolds: Yeah, I imagine it would be hard to fit your product into a mass production pipeline.
Amy Small: It's not where my heart is either. I'll do it, and I do think it's good for the business, so I won't say no, but now I feel like I'm in a position to do it on my terms and walk away if I have to, which feels good. But yeah, it's good for people. It helps with the knitters seeing it there, I think.
Right? Yeah.
Trenton Reynolds: And where can they find you on Instagram?
Amy Small: Oh, just knitcollage. Please follow me.
Trenton Reynolds: And you've got a podcast and a blog and you've got a lot going on. A lot of ways to connect.
Amy Small: Yes, and I would love to connect with anyone, any knitters out there who want to come say hi and send me an email or message. That would be awesome.
Trenton Reynolds: And could you, I know this might be too much to ask because we kind of require a moment, but when you really geek out about... like I want to be able to sit in and listen to you on a knit along. And when it gets like serious, like deep geeking out about yarn, what, what kind of things do you, what kind of, what kind of guys talk about? Do you talk about like the, the, the type of stitching or the pattern or the color or the,
Amy Small: It's so fun. It's really, yeah, it's so fun. It gets really technical. I think there's a side of it that gets really technical where, like, how are you slipping the first stitch of every row? Are you slipping it purl-wise or knit-wise? That's what I'm looking for, yeah. There's a lot of, like, geekery around that. Or how do you weave in your ends? How do you join your yarn? Like, there's a lot of tips I try to share in my online class where we kind of, share like the best tips because our yarns are so different like of how to knit with those but what surprises me is that in our Facebook group people people bring ideas out that I've never heard of that are even better sometimes than you know what I suggest so it's it's really fun and a lot of people also just want to talk about okay should I this is a good idea so I think one of the sweaters was color work you guys know what color work is it's like fair isle sweater so okay uh with like it's like stranded knitting and it's just imagine I love it just imagine a sweater that's like lots of different colors knit together yeah like a ski sweater or um like a You know those Canadian sweaters that would have like the Jacquard pattern? Anyway, you might not, but people will do intense color graphs to figure out where their colors go, you know? Like almost like coloring in different options to see what it's going to look like depending on how they lay their colors out. So that's pretty common. Yeah.
Trenton Reynolds: It's really fun. Do you get like graph paper or is there a special kind of pattern paper?
Amy Small: There's an app for it that a lot of people use. But you can 100% do old-fashioned too.
I love it.
Trenton Reynolds: I imagine there's also – is there a certain kind of personality that gravitates towards knitting?
Amy Small: It's so funny. Well, I truly think knitters are really smart. I think they're the best. Like they're just – it's very mathematical and so – I I just I knitters are really smart but when I did this event in New York City called Vogue Knitting Live in January and we had a lot of people from our knit along come to the booth and like I couldn't tell you what our customer is it's all over the place which makes me so happy all different types of people all different ages um so it's really cool I I think the connection piece of it is really cool because uh you guys all know just how divided our country is right now. And it's given me a way to connect to so many different types of people, ages and races and genders and all the things. And it's been this surprising side effect of getting into knitting and
Sabrina Ward Harrison: And my dream when I was little was to have a sweater store. I think I told you on your podcast. Yes! I love it. I had a kid, my mom and dad taking me to a store that sold sweaters, hand-knit sweaters. I could feel the emotional resonance of the color and texture and warmth of that store. I must have been only about three or four years old. And I was like, when I grew up... But then when I could talk, I was like, I want to have a sweater store.
So cool. So cool.
Trenton Reynolds: It's really. What cozier thing is there than a sweater and a yarn? That's awesome. Well, fantastic.
Sabrina Ward Harrison: Yes, thank you so much. So much fun. Thank you. Thanks for listening. We'll be back next week. In the meantime, you can follow us on Instagram at Sabrina Ward Harrison and at Trent Reynolds Art. And check out the show notes at roominthetrees.com
Trenton Reynolds: where you can also get in touch if you have any ideas you'd like to share. If you like this
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