Episode 090: Photographing Knitwear with Abbye Dahl

09/10/19 • 38 min

This week on the show, Felicia chats with Abbye Dahl: a Vancouver-based knitwear designer and professional photographer. Abbye is no stranger to SweetGeorgia Yarns as she created a collection of hat patterns using our yarns called: Cloche Knits. Abbye has also designed a follow-up collection called Cloche Knits 2. If you haven't seen the photos in Cloche Knits, they are stunning and elegantly shot. Now Abbye is about to share her deep photography knowledge and experience with knitters and she is created a course specifically teaching knitwear designers how to photograph their garments.

"...one of the things I love about knitting... is the colours and the textures are so rich and... as I was doing it I was like 'Ah these things are... calling out to be photographed' So then I would spend time with my knitting just taking pictures of it... just being really inspired by all the different textures and then I was sitting at home and I'm like 'Well I have all of these awesome pictures of my knitting... just sitting on my hard drive, what can I do with this? How can I start sharing this with other people?' So I would honestly say it was the photography that got me to start designing just because I felt like I really wanted people to see these pictures of knitting, so I might as well write a patter to go with the pictures. " - Abbye Dahl on what inspired her to start designing knitwear patterns

In this episode, we talk about:

1:30 How did Abbye get into the fibre arts?
4:46 Abbye chats about the cloche-style hats she designs and what she loves about them
8:11 Felicia and Abbye talk about the Louise Poncho that Abbye designed for her Rockies collection
10:38 Felicia asks Abbye about her experiences in photography school
13:21 It's a small world after all: Abbye chats about her connections to two of our former podcast guests: Mariana Frochtengartenand Katrina Stewart
15:14 Discussing Abbye's upcoming Photography for Knitwear course
20:10 How designers can work effectively with knitwear models
27:02 The challenges of self-portraits
30:50 Abbye's chats about editing and re-touching knitwear photography
32:41 How Abbye's new photography course can be for non-designers as well
34:38 Where you can find Abbye online
36:09 Felicia's Final Notes and Giveaway!

Here's Where You Can Find Abbye Knits:

Website: www.abbyeknits.com

Knitwear Photography Course: www.abbyeknits.com/photography-for-knitwear

Instagram: @abbyeknits

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In this episode, we talk about:

1:30 How did Abbye get into the fibre arts?
4:46 Abbye chats about the cloche-style hats she designs and what she loves about them
8:11 Felicia and Abbye talk about the Louise Poncho that Abbye designed for her Rockies collection
10:38 Felicia asks Abbye about her experiences in photography school
13:21 It's a small world after all: Abbye chats about her connections to two of our former podcast guests: Mariana Frochtengartenand Katrina Stewart
15:14 Discussing Abbye's upcoming Photography for Knitwear course
20:10 How designers can work effectively with knitwear models
27:02 The challenges of self-portraits
30:50 Abbye's chats about editing and re-touching knitwear photography
32:41 How Abbye's new photography course can be for non-designers as well
34:38 Where you can find Abbye online
36:09 Felicia's Final Notes and Giveaway!

Here's Where You Can Find Abbye Knits:

Website: www.abbyeknits.com

Knitwear Photography Course: www.abbyeknits.com/photography-for-knitwear

Instagram: @abbyeknits

Previous Episode

089: Spinning up a Storm with Spincycle Yarns

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This week, Felicia is chatting with Rachel Price and Kate Burge of Spincycle Yarns. Spincycle Yarns is a very unique yarn company as they create small batch mill-spun yarn, spun from fibre that they hand dye so the yarns look and feel like handspun! You have probably seen Spincycle Yarns featured in such designs like Andrea Mowry's The Shiftcowl and Nightshift shawl among many others. Join Felicia, Rachel, and Kate as they chat about all things colour and spinning!

"...the first time we ever hung out it was Easter Sunday and we went to my... house... and we had... a pound of fibre and we're like 'Alright, let's go crazy and dye it' and we did and it was like so much fun and we just... I don't know like as opposed to crafting by yourself, when you find your crafting soulmate to work with it's so much more fun." - Kate Burge on meeting her best friend (and future business partner) Rachel Price

In this episode, we talk about:

1:21 Rachel and Kate introduce themselves
3:05 Rachel and Kate chat about how they started spinning yarn
4:32 What made Rachel and Kate make the decision to go into business together?
7:03 How do you go from selling handspun yarn to production dyeing and spinning?
9:33 Sport Weight vs Fingering Weight: What's the difference and does it really matter?
11:43 Where Spincycle Yarns sources its fibre from and how they choose what fibre goes into their millspun yarns
15:30 Can yarn construction techniques be experimented with when you have your own mill?
17:34 How many colourways is Spincycle Yarns producing right now?
20:32 How do Rachel and Kate draw the boundaries between work and play when running a yarn business?
26:36 Felicia asks Rachel about how she learned how to weave in Harrisville
30:07 Do Rachel and Kate teach textile arts to the public?
32:35 What changes have Rachel and Kate seen in the knitting world over the years? And the fun of collaborating with Andrea Mowry
40:10 Where to find Rachel and Kate online! Also you can find Spincycle Yarns at Knit City in Vancouverthis year at the Starlight Knitting Society booth!
43:32 Felicia's Final Notes and Giveaway!

Here's Where You Can Find Spincycle Yarns:

Website: www.spincycleyarns.com

Instagram: @spincycle_yarns

Enter the Giveaway for 2 Free Skeins of Spincycle Yarns:

If you want to get your hands on Rachel and Kate's beautiful yarn, enter our contest to win 2 free skeins of their brand new colourway: Castaway! Thank you so much to Rachel, Kate, and the hardworking Spincycle gang for making this giveaway possible!

Click here to enter the giveaway »

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Next Episode

091: Weaving up New Dreams with Angela Smith

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This week on the show Felicia is joined by Angela Smith, the founder and creative director of Purl & Loop. Felicia has mentioned Purl & Loop many times before on the SweetGeorgia YouTube channel because, as an avid weaver, she is a huge fan of their looms. Please join Felicia and Angela as they discuss all things weaving and the big challenges faced when starting out a small business

"...it's an industry I was drawn to because, unlike real estate... well in real estate everyone thinks everything's an emergency... there are no emergencies in fibre. No one was ever going to call me up at 9 o'clock on a Friday night and tell me they had to look at 10 different looms by 9 am on Saturday morning... " - Angela Smith on what inspired her to transition from the world of real estate to the world of fibre arts

In this episode, we talk about:

0:51 Felicia and Angela chat about how they first met
1:27 Angela describes her company, Purl & Loop
2:57 Angela chats about some of Purl & Loops newest projects , including a "delicious" sounding Cord Taco
4:29 How Angela got into the world of fibre arts and started Purl & Loop
7:18 Felicia asks Angela how she transitioned from the world of real estate to owning a fibre arts supply store
11:57 Angela chats about the studio space Purl & Loop occupies
15:45 Angela discusses how the partnership with Liz Gibson helped advance Purl & Loop into a larger studio space
22:15 Chatting about the laser cutter and process that goes into creating the looms
25:15 Discussing the amazing team behind Purl & Loop
26:46 Is Purl & Loop going to venture out beyond weaving supplies?
29:07 Angela chats about Purl & Loop's new circle looms
30:58 What does the future hold for Purl & Loop?
32:47 Where you can find Purl & Loop online
33:38 Felicia's Final Notes and Giveaway!

Here's Where You Can Find Purl & Loop:

Website: www.purlandloop.com

Instagram: @purlandloop

Enter the Giveaway for a Free Circular Loom from Purl & Loop:

If this week's conversation has inspired you to give weaving a try, then enter down below to win a free circular loom from Purl & Loop ! Thanks to Angela and her team for giving our listeners a chance to win one of these gorgeous looms!

Click here to enter the giveaway »

Thanks for Listening!

Thank you so much for joining us this episode! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your fellow fibre art friends. And if you like what we're doing here, please leave a rating and review on iTunes for the show. We read each and every email and bit of feedback, whether it’s on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, so we welcome your comments.

Thank you all