Today Felicia is chatting with Patty Lyons: a nationally recognized knitting teacher and technique expert who is known for teaching the why not just the how in the pursuit of training the mindful knitter. She specializes in sweater design and sharing her love of the much maligned subjects of gauge and blocking. Patty teaches at knitting shows around North America including Vogue Knitting Live, Stitches, and more. She can also be found teaching online through Interweave, Annie’s, and Craftsy. Patty’s “Improve your Knitting” Craftsy class was named “the most popular Craftsy class” in 2013. These days, Patty is also sharing a lot of her knowledge and instruction through her knit alongs on Ravelry.
Please join us today as Felicia chats with Patty about her experiences teaching in the knitting industry!
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On how her past mistakes help her teach knitting to others: “When I teach… there’d be a moment where I’d say ‘Let’s reach into Patty’s Big Box of Knitting Fails, the box that is broad and that is deep, and let me tell you about a couple things that happened to me’… Because I am entirely self-taught, it’s every single thing that I did in my journey where something didn’t make sense, I screwed stuff up, and then I had to understand the ‘why’ of it…” — Patty Lyons
In this episode, we talk about:
- 1:47 Felicia and Patty chat about the first time they met
- 5:50 Patty chats about how she got into the knitting industry from her previous career as a broadway stage manager
- 10:50 Patty’s experiences in running a yarn store in New York and how it set her knitting teaching career into motion
- 13:20 The ladies chat about “Patty’s Big Box of Knitting Fails”
- 17:18 Discussing Patty’s obsession with the finishing stages of a project
- 18:13 Patty chats about her most popular Craftsy class: Improve Your Knitting
- 23:20 Patty discusses knitting without flipping your work
- 26:37 Felicia and Patty discuss the endless learning possibilities of knitting
- 27:52 Patty talks about the various forms of classes she offers and the advantages and disadvantages of these different forms
- 33:00 Chatting about Patty’s online knit alongs and how she brings something different to the table
- 39:55 How to find motivation to finish knit alongs projects
- 43:45 What knit alongs Patty has planned for the future
- 45:10 Patty’s advice for knitters who want to become teachers
- 48:52 Felicia’s final notes and podcast giveaway!
Links and Things
Here’s where to find Patty online:
- Website: www.pattylyons.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/pattylyons
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/Patty_Lyons
- Ravelry Group: www.ravelry.com/groups/the-patty-lyons-fan-club
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/PattyLyons
Podcast Giveaway!
Win a free online Corcoran sweater class from Patty! This class includes 2 hours of video instruction with modification notes and helpful how-tos. Simply enter your info here and we’ll enter you in the giveaway and also subscribe you to our SweetGeorgia updates, so you won’t miss out on any of our updates!
Please Join us Online at the Newly-Launched School of SweetGeorgia!
If Felicia and Patty’s discussion on online courses has inspired you to take an online class for yourself, consider checking out our new site: the School of SweetGeorgia. We are currently offering 2 courses: Colour Play and Dyeing Intentional Colour. Many more courses are coming your way, so please stay tuned!
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.
Many thanks to Patty for joining us on the show today!
Music Credits:
The Young and Beautiful – by Ivory Hours
Fallin’ – by Jetty Rae (on Noise Trade)