Episode 070: Regal Beading in Knitting with Sivia Harding

This week Felicia is joined by Sivia Harding, a knitwear designer who has been working with fiber and art ever since she can remember. As a youth she became obsessed with the fiber arts and dabbled in weaving, spinning, and dyeing as well as other activities. She finally came to knitting in the year 2000 and almost immediately began to design. Sivia is best known for exceptional lace and bead designs. Her patterns also include accessories, garments, and Möbius creations. Sivia has been widely published in books and collections including Jared Flood’s Wool People series, Twist Collective, and Knitty. She also self-publishes as Sivia Harding Knit Design. Since 2009 Sivia has also been travelling and teaching at larger venues and shows.

Please join us as Felicia and Sivia chat about how to add a little extra splendour to your knits with beads!

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On why she loves adding beads to her knitted projects: “I always think when I’m weaving a heavily beaded thing I always think how regal it feels… how many people in the world who’ve ever lived can say that they’re wearing a piece with a thousand beads in it? Not that many… maybe royalty… it always makes it feel really special.” — Sivia Harding

In this episode, we talk about:

• 1:43 Felicia and Sivia reminisce about when Siva used to live in Vancouver, BC and Sivia’s first big venue teaching gig at Sock Summit
• 6:33 Sivia chats about her love of fiber arts from an early age and how she got into knitting and design
• 13:20 Felicia asks Sivia how she got into what she is best-known for: beading in knitting
• 17:50 Felicia asks for tips for knitters who want to add beads to their projects but feel a little apprehensive
• 22:15 Sivia gives us a glimpse into the history of the bead industry and how some bead companies specifically advertise to fibre artists who work with beads
• 24:20 What kind of designs Sivia is focusing on presently
• 26:30 Felicia asks about the current trend of knitters moving away from lace weight yarn into thicker yarns
• 29:50 What classes and retreats Sivia has been teaching, including her time at Vancouver’s own Knit City
• 36:25 Felicia asks about the knitting community in Portland
• 39:40 Felicia’s final notes and podcast giveaway!

Links and Things

Here’s where to find Sivia online:

• Website: www.siviaharding.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/siviaharding
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/siviahardingknitdesign
• Ravelry Group: www.ravelry.com/groups/sivia-harding

Podcast Giveaway!

Sivia is generously giving our listeners a coupon for one free pattern from her Ravelry store! Listen to this episode to get the coupon code for your free pattern! The coupon is valid until January 31, 2018.

Thanks for Listening!

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

Thank you Sivia for joining us on the show!

Music Credits:

The Young and Beautiful – by Ivory Hours
Fallin’ – by Jetty Rae (on Noise Trade)

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