The Knit Vibe with Vickie Howell | Podcast Episode #137

Episode Transcript

Brittany:
You’re listening to The B.Hooked Podcast, episode 137, with Brittany. Hey there, welcome to another episode of the B.Hooked Podcast, the place where we love yarn, we love to learn, and we truly believe yarn can do more for us than just make pretty things. And boy oh boy, do I have a treat for you today.

So I’ve been keeping a tiny little secret from you for over a year now, and I am bursting at the seams and over the moon excited to share that secret with you today. And to help me share the secret with you is Vicki Howell. She’s returning on the show to talk about her new book, The Knit Vibe. This book is my jam right now. Now I’ll let Vicki do the honors in sharing what this secret is, so keep that in mind.

But before we get to that, I want to let you know that she has also offered a giveaway to one lucky listener. So you’ll want to stick to the very end of the episode. We’ll go through the instructions of what to do and what you could potentially win as you participate in that giveaway. Also, keep in mind that the show notes can be found at BHooked.com slash 137. You’ll find all of the information that we talk about there and all of the information for the giveaway on that page. So keep that in mind.

And let’s get to my talk with Vicki. Vicki Howell, welcome back to the show. How are you doing this morning?

Vicki: 2:17
Wonderful. Well, I’m pretty pumped to have you on the show for a second time, but I’m extra excited today because I get to share a little secret with my audience that I’ve been keeping from them for over a year now. Do you want to do the honors?

Vickie:
Why, yes, I will. That’s so cute that you keep things like that — you have secrets. I don’t think that I keep secrets. I mean, unless I’m contractually obligated. I feel like every part of the process of anything I do is public. So, I mean, yeah, that’s awesome that you do that.

So I have my 13th book coming out—or is out as of October 8th. It’s called The Knit Vibe: A Knitter’s Guide to Creativity, Community and Wellbeing for the Mind, Body and Soul. And it is a huge book that encompasses sort of like all the community. It’s sort of a love letter from me to the knitting and crochet community.

As part of that, I have a whole section featuring different designers from all sorts of places in the world and also different parts of the industry. And you are one of those designers featured.

Brittany: 3:22
I am so ecstatic. Actually, you know, I don’t keep a whole lot of secrets because I’m really not great at that. But I was…

Vickie: 3:31
I mean, you’re the only person in the industry that nobody knows your last name.

Brittany: 3:38
I know. That’s a pretty good secret. You know, that was something that was just a choice that my husband and I made really early on. And… now it’s just become a thing. So I’m…

Vickie: 3:48
Just saying that takes some fortitude. So give yourself credit where credit is due.

Brittany: 3:53
Yeah, it’s not difficult. And it’s not that I’m trying to conceal my identity or anything like that. I just—I don’t know. It’s kind of hard to explain, to be honest with you. I like to just keep it simple. Keep the focus away from me and on the craft as much as possible. So…

Vickie: 4:09
Well, you don’t owe anybody any explanation for why you do what you do. I just think that it’s pretty amazing that you’ve been able to do it. That was my only point, because there isn’t a lot of anonymity in general, but also when you are the face of whatever it is—your own brand, your own site, somebody else’s brand—it becomes exponentially harder. So good job keeping your integrity at the level that you want.

Brittany: 4:36
Well, I appreciate that. You know, I didn’t—I think I mentioned it in passing to my husband when we first connected about this because that was just like—I kind of had a crazy geek-out moment there because I was so excited to be able to connect with you. So I’m sure I mentioned it to him, but I haven’t said anything to him until recently the book arrived.

And I had it on the counter for when he came home, and I was like, “I’m in this book!” It’s so much fun. So he kind of flipped through and was reading it. And it was just kind of a… really surreal moment that I got to connect with somebody who I have always really considered a mentor.

To actually be a part of one of your publications is just amazing. So first of all, I want to say thank you for choosing me to be in the book. But I definitely want to get into some of the details of it because since I’ve had this in my possession, I can’t put it down. There’s so much interesting stuff in here. So much information that I am really interested in—topics we’ve talked about here on the show before—so I know my audience is interested in it as well.

So let’s just dive into it. First of all, the name is really intriguing. What’s the story behind that?

Vickie: 5:58
Well, originally, this book was at least two years, if not longer, in the making. I knew that I wanted to work with Abrams, the publisher. They’re putting out, hands down, the most beautiful books right now in the craft category. But I wasn’t sure what it was going to be.

I didn’t really think that I wanted to do another straightforward knitting book. I had some other ideas. And then The Knit Show happened, so we decided that we would just do a Knit Show book.

And in case your listeners don’t know, I have a 10-episode series that is on Roku and also on YouTube featuring 20 guests. It’s a proper knitting and crochet show.

So we started doing that, just sort of encapsulating the community that was involved with that and sort of the zeitgeist of what went into that show. And just slowly, it kind of morphed into its own thing.

It was actually my editor, Shauna Mullen, who changed the name. She just, after seeing the content—the breadth of material and not just the amount, but the range of what I’m trying to convey—she came up with the title.

And I had to sit with it for a bit. I wasn’t sure if it was right. And now I can’t imagine it being anything different. As we’ve progressed with the book, and now obviously that it’s out, it really has become sort of my catchphrase for what I’m talking about in the entirety of this book.

For me, what the Knit Vibe is, is that sort of intangible feeling that being a knitter or crocheter—or as a side note, whatever your creative outlet is—doesn’t matter if you write poetry or paint or play music.

I believe that how you’re creative really crafts the lens through which you see the world and also is a conduit for how you communicate, how you’re an activist or not, how you serve others, how you have fun.

So that really, as far as this book goes, is what the Knit Vibe is. It’s the nest. It’s the essence of being able to create. It’s the essence of communicating with other people—whether it’s virtually through Ravelry, or in a Facebook group, or in a Knit Hive or Stitch and Bitch group, or even if you’re on a subway and someone strikes up a conversation with you because you are physically making something and they see that as an in to talking to you about some memory that they have.

So it’s that, but also… some people, and we’ll talk about this in a little bit, use their craft to get in touch with their spirituality a little bit more.

There have been several articles over the past, I don’t know, maybe five years about how knitting and crochet are really good for our mental wellness as a stress reliever. So we talk a little bit about that.

And really, just how the knitting and the crochet is—yes, it’s a ball of yarn and a hook or needles—but it’s not. That’s just the jumping-off point. It really is the opener. It is the window that we all climb through for all of these other things that surround us.

And so that is the Knit Vibe. And that’s sort of the evolution of both the book and the name all wrapped up in one.

Brittany: 9:58
Yeah, I absolutely love it. I connect with that so much because for the past, I would say this year, I have really tried to hone in on my place in the community. What am I here for? What do I have to offer? And the discovery of that was like learning a lot more about myself — what is it that I get out of the craft and how is it that I can share that with somebody else?

So I started thinking about it, jotting some ideas down, and what it boils down to for me is that yarn does more than just make pretty things. And so that’s sort of become a saying now that I’ve mentioned here on the show, I’ve mentioned it in my YouTube videos.

But because I love the process so much, for me, working with yarn—whether it be knitting or crocheting or just randomly dyeing yarn for fun because it’s something different—the process for me is what is a craving, I guess. And it does more for me than just create that end result.

For the longest time, I haven’t had a really great way of explaining that. And I think that’s why I’m so drawn to this book and The Knit Vibe as a whole. I think it really explains what I’m trying to portray or helping to explain to the world how to express what yarn does for you. Does that make sense?

Vickie: 11:36
Yeah, I think for me, incorporating some form of creativity, even if you consider yourself not to be creative—which I fully believe is not a thing—in some way is extremely important for our sort of personal growth and the evolution of our community.

Because when you’re creative, there’s an openness. Creativity creates that openness. And when there’s an openness, then you will actually be able to see more things, be willing to listen to more people. And if you’re listening and seeing more, then maybe you can have these conversations that are really important that you may not have had if you didn’t have that openness.

And so for me, it’s a building block. You may find yourself at a knitting table with a group or at a yarn store with people whom you would never have crossed paths with for any other reason.

And that might be just geographical. It might be because you’re at different socioeconomic levels. It might be because you’re from different political sides of the fence. It might be different religions. It could be any ages—it doesn’t matter—gender, sexuality, sexual expression. It really doesn’t matter.

But you found yourself in this space because of knitting or crochet. And that is a gift. Because that is an opportunity to open your world, to open your eyes, to have conversations that you may never have had the opportunity before.

And I believe that our place on this earth is to experience it, to experience relationships, to experience the different levels of living. And you can’t do that without being open.

So it’s like, you know, if we’re looking at a graph or a chart, it would be an arrow in a circle—one thing begets another. And so that’s sort of the… I don’t straight up talk about that specifically in the book, but it’s what I’m hoping will be clear within its pages by the content and the people who are a part of it.

Brittany: 13:51
Yeah. When I was listening to what you were saying, it reminded me of something you say in the introduction where you say, for me, life is about showing up for who and what you love. That really reminded me of this. Is that sort of what you had in mind while you were writing that?

Vickie: 14:10
Yeah, it is. Let me see if I can edit this so it’s a little more PG-rated. I have a personal motto. And it’s essentially: show up and don’t be a jerk.

And I really think that’s like, those are the two things that I live by the most—in friendship, in career, in family, and for knitting.

You and I are both in the industry and it is an industry that struggles. Largely knitting and crochet is still considered, you know, quote-unquote “women’s work,” using that as a derogatory term.

There is not the value placed on knitwear designers that there are on, say, fashion designers or chefs or musicians or anybody else who is creating something for someone else.

And often, our industry struggles, as I just mentioned, but also, as in many different industries right now, because of the way that media is progressing, we’re all having to sort of grasp at straws to fit in.

So for me, showing up for the craft means to be out there talking about what the actual benefits are beyond creating these beautiful wearable garments or home decor.

To me, it’s using my voice to share what’s past the tip of the iceberg. And so that’s how I hope that I’m showing up, so that I can help fellow designers, yarn companies, yarn dyers, and just hobbyists who really get something emotionally, physically, and mentally from these crafts.

I hope that I can help them rise together. I hope that we can all help each other rise together.

Brittany: 16:21
Yeah, that makes sense. I think we all have a common interest, which is yarn. And we all have a common interest, which is to help our industry succeed so we can all keep doing what we love doing.

And I think that’s important to remember that. So I love that that’s the message that you’re sharing here. I think we need to be reminded of that every now and then. Well, I’m going to do it a lot. Well, I will be here helping you because I’m sure you’ve heard the quote, and I’ve said it here so many times—a rising tide lifts all boats.

It’s almost said so much that it has less meaning, but it’s really so true.

Vickie: 17:03
It’s actually in my mission statement for my subscription box company, Yarn Yay. We are a rising tide company, and that is the platform for which the rest of the business stands.

Brittany: 17:18
Yeah. Well, talk about a woman of integrity. You are practicing what you preach. That’s the showing up part, right?

Vickie: 17:21
Yeah, it is. It is.

I love how that comes full circle. It’s admirable to really have all of that figured out. I’m sure it wasn’t something that just happened overnight, though. You’ve been in the industry for so long.

Brittany: 17:38
I mean, not so long. We don’t have… Well, that’s true. I’m not trying to… I’m just teasing you. I’m just teasing you. Well, I guess in terms of how long I’ve been doing it, I feel like it’s just been a couple of—

Vickie: 17:55
Years. 100%. 100%. I have been in this industry for… 16 years, 17 years, somewhere around that.

So yeah, I’ve seen a thing or two.

Brittany: 18:10
You’ve kind of rode the waves with it.

Vickie: 18:12
Yeah. I mean, I really, really have done my share of pivoting over the past decade and a half for sure.

You have to be very creative to be in our industry and that creativity has nothing to do with whether or not you know how to design.

It’s literally creating a career that—

Brittany: 18:36
Is sustainable. A big part of that is knowing how and when to pivot.

Vickie: 19:04
Yeah, for sure. I think that I get a little frustrated when I hear blame being placed, whether from yarn stores or anybody in the industry who’s frustrated—and that frustration is absolutely justified.

But I feel a little frustrated myself when I hear it being blamed on somebody else doing something that’s hurting somebody else’s business inadvertently, not maliciously.

Like somebody else starting an e-commerce site for their shop—well, that’s taking away somebody else’s shop business—or somebody else—”we can’t do this because we can’t compete with Amazon” or “we can’t do that.”

For me, that’s wasted energy. What we need to do is value ourselves enough to really know our followers, subscribers, customers, audience, whatever it is, and know what they want from us.

Lean into that and do more of that, and less of the other thing that we feel like we’re failing at, instead of placing blame on other people for things not working.

Because we are in the Wild West right now. We’re still only about 20-something years into the internet, first of all, which is like infancy for technology.

And social media—real social media, how it is now—is really only about seven years old, eight years old.

So we’re all here. And you have to be flexible. You have to be pliable.

For me, I try to think of it as an opportunity. We’re pioneering.

Yeah, we have to be creative.

To speak to the point of it not necessarily being about what we make, but being the way that we’re creative—you’re a great example of that.

You started your career by not making anything at all.

And we talk about that in your feature in The Knit Vibe, how you started by just having a beautifully curated Pinterest board—well, several of them, or accounts would be a better way to say it—of other people’s stuff.

And it has morphed into you teaching, designing, and being an influencer and that kind of thing.

I mean, that takes strategy, and strategy is—even if it was unintentional—strategy takes creativity as well.

Brittany: 21:29
Yeah. I would like to say that there was a lot of strategy that went behind that, but honestly, I’m not sure that I can.

I mean, obviously, I knew I wanted to keep making things, and eventually I wanted to share what I was making.

Because at the time I didn’t know how to read a pattern, I was sort of designing—even though I wouldn’t really call it designing.

I knew I wanted to share those things, and in order to share that stuff with other people, you have to have a community of people.

So I mean, there was a little strategy, but I didn’t consciously think about that knowing what it was going to be.

I just looked at the situation that was in front of me at that moment and figured out the best way to accomplish that one goal.

And that was just to share what I was creating with somebody who was as ecstatic about that project as I was.

Vickie: 22:24
Yeah, and I think that that’s a good point, too.

It’s really important—yes, having some form of strategy is important.

But what’s also important is, again, the pliability to be open to—I’m back to being open to—whatever that morphs into, to the opportunity that might come to you that you might attract by just following that one nugget of passion that you have.

And then just sort of letting things happen, you know, finding that balance of forcing things to happen through strategy, and letting things come to you that might not be what you would have seen, but end up being what is actually right for your path.

Brittany: 23:08
Right, that I would have never seen for myself.

Right, right. Yeah, that’s so true.

And it makes me think of how things are still changing and evolving right now.

I’m a little bit of—I wouldn’t say I’m a control freak.

Have you ever heard of Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies? You ever heard of that?

Okay, so she has a way of categorizing our tendencies, right?

And I feel like I am kind of skating between two.

And I think I lean more towards what she calls an upholder.

And that’s somebody who can achieve outer and inner expectations with no accountability.

I say all of that to say that I like to know what’s going on.

I like to have a plan.

I like to have a process, a routine, like all of this stuff scheduled and mapped out.

But you can’t really do that so much in business.

And to relate it back to what you were saying, when we have a goal in mind, it’s great to have that to strive towards.

But what ends up happening is usually different than whatever that goal is.

And a lot of times it’s better than what we could have imagined.

Because, like you said, we don’t always have that vision for whatever is coming about.

Vickie: 24:36
Yeah. I mean, an example—a personal example—is that I had never planned to have a subscription box business.

That is not even just running a small business, other than, you know, just obviously it’s a business, just being a host and spokesperson or whatever.

But an actual retail small business was not ever something that was in my plan.

Although I did think that the retail aspect was the big missing piece in my overall sort of career.

But it was doing the show that was my true passion—the knit show—that attracted the company that helped me start Yarnier, the subscription box company.

And now Yarnier is like 80% of what eats up my time, that I wear my focuses, because it combines a lot of things:

community, design, supporting other designers, supporting other small businesses, empowering people to be creative, also bringing in money for the family that is not reliant on anybody else cutting me a check.

All these things.

And it was not planned at all, but because I did what I really wanted to do and made my own show on my own—with a production company, but without any other backing—that has attracted a few different things that I hadn’t intended, but have been really good, if nothing else, stepping stones to whatever the next big thing is.

Brittany: 26:08
Yeah, I think to summarize, it’s really about experimenting and trying to see what works. I think sharing these two stories shows that the common thread is simply trying something. And it’s okay if an experiment doesn’t work. One of the things I’m playing with right now is different types of video formats on my YouTube channel. That’s part of an experimentation process to see what works. I want to see what my viewers like to watch. Some things won’t stick, and some will. I think that’s a great way to help find your place—and also discover what lights you up creatively.

Vickie: 26:53
Yeah, it’s really important to note that you can’t be an entrepreneur without risk. Risk involves trial and error. It’s not always going to go well. That’s just not how entrepreneurship works. But if you can go into it knowing that, it gives you a little bit of a pass for things not working—until they do.

Brittany: 27:18
Very true. To circle back, there are a couple of topics in the book I really want to get your thoughts on because I know there are a lot of maker businesses here. I want to touch on both of these areas. So I appreciate the wisdom on trial and error and figuring out what works, and the encouragement behind that—because that’s really important.

But underlying that, we’re all creators. We can’t make our goals or businesses a reality until we really check in with ourselves, set our intentions, and hone in on what this craft does for us. Because I feel like that is the driving force to keep you going through all the hard stuff.

Being an entrepreneur is wonderful, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it’s harder than any job I could have picked for myself. And if it weren’t for this craft and what I love and the benefits I get from it, I’m not sure I’d have it in me to keep going.

You talk about different areas and intentions, and I’d love to focus in on that right now. Okay. Well, you know, there are a couple of areas I know I’m super passionate about. Yes, I want to—

Vickie: 28:45
Hear it. I’m really interested to see how this resonates with people because there’s not… well, I could be wrong, but I don’t think there’s another book out there like this in our genre.

And so that’s obviously good for many reasons, but it’s also—and we’re back to it—it’s risky. Am I going to be able to convey everything that’s in this book so people get it?

People don’t buy pattern-only books the way they used to, because we’re back to the Internet. Also, I fought hard for the subtitle to fit as much in as possible. So it’s an experience.

This book, like everything in my career, to be frank, is also somewhat of an experiment. I don’t know if it’s going to resonate with people. It’s just my truth.

Brittany: 29:41
Yeah, I love that. And I think that’s what people will resonate with the most. Because although we might not realize it, all this stuff is going through our minds—I’m a strong believer in that.

One area I’ve explored this year is yoga to help me with the constant pressures of having to turn projects. Think about it: if I weren’t a business owner, I wouldn’t pressure myself to make as many projects in a year as I do, because it’s hard. It’s difficult to make an entire blanket in a week or two. It’s not necessarily healthy to try to do that.

Vickie: 30:24
Girl, I’m making an eight-foot-by-six-foot crocheted version of the cover of my book right now. I hear you—it’s not good for your body.

Brittany: 30:33
No. So I’ve experienced some issues—obviously wrists and hands. I feel like that just kind of comes with it.

Vickie: 30:41
Yeah. That’s part of the territory.

Brittany: 30:43
Yeah. For the last year or so, I’ve been struggling with shoulder problems.

Vickie: 30:47
I hear that a lot.

Brittany: 30:48
It’s so weird and off the wall. You wouldn’t think your shoulders would be affected. But I guess because I sort of hunch forward when I’m looking at my work, my posture has been affected.

Basically, the nerves and arteries that run through my collarbone and innervate my hands and arms are getting pinched, and that’s really uncomfortable.

So I turned to yoga because I didn’t know what else to do. I tried physical therapy for a while, but I thought—

Vickie: 31:28
Is the yoga helping?

Brittany: 31:31
Absolutely. Yeah. If I miss more than a couple of days of just doing stretches—mainly focusing on my upper body, my arms primarily, and my back—I feel it.

When I work the stitches, it’s almost like little pins and needles, up and down my arms.

So I know yoga has helped me. It hurts to see comments from people who say, “I want to do this, but it hurts so bad.”

People need to be aware there are stretches you can do that are not difficult. I’m not athletic or flexible, but I can get down on the floor and see a big difference.

Vickie: 32:16
Flexibility is so important for aging bodies, too. We’re both relatively young—you’re much younger than I am—but this is the time to start preparing your body.

Flexibility is one of the big factors in why elderly people break their hips—they fall and break their hips.

Strength matters, too. We’re being harder on our bodies than athletes, most certainly not, but definitely harder on parts of our bodies than some people for sure.

It’s so important.

We do talk about this in the book. I focus on yoga for shoulder openers and wrist exercises mostly.

I’m a huge proponent of stopping every 20 minutes to stretch your arms, especially the clavicle area—that’s the front side of your shoulders—and your wrists.

Also, stopping to ice them is really important for the long haul—not just for getting through one project, but so you can still make things 20 years from now.

Brittany: 33:24
Oh, that’s interesting. I haven’t heard of icing. So you put the ice directly on your wrists?

Vickie: 33:29
Oh yeah. You have to.

Brittany: 33:31
I’m going to have to try that. So every 20 minutes, do you let it sit for a—

Vickie: 33:35
A few minutes? Oh, I don’t ice as often as I stretch.

I stop every 20 minutes to stretch.

I’ll ice at the end of the night sometimes if I’ve had a long session or notice the beginning of pain.

It helps a lot.

Brittany: 34:03
I’m definitely going to try that.

Vickie: 34:03
I want to say, I have zero medical background—I’m just telling you what’s worked for me.

Brittany: 34:06
Yeah.

Vickie: 34:07
I think practical advice is the best kind.

So there’s some yoga in there, and my former trainer.

I’ve been doing Pilates and yoga on and off—mostly on—for probably seven years.

That’s what I do.

I do some yoga, but mostly Pilates.

Strengthening is a big focus for me.

My former trainer, when I was at a gym (versus a Pilates studio), is also in the book.

She did some segments on The Knit Show.

She really focuses on core strength because you need your core to support your spine.

You want to avoid back aches.

So this involves much more than taking care of your wrists if you want to keep knitting and crocheting.

Having a strong core means your back is supported, so you can sit and work for longer.

That’s another part of the physical well-being side of the knit vibe.

Brittany: 35:01
Yeah, that makes sense.

I probably could focus more on my core because you don’t realize how much it’s involved in your posture.

Vickie: 35:11
Yeah.

Brittany: 35:12
Oh yes.

Vickie: 35:13
Absolutely.

Pilates and yoga instructors really focus on that ab strength.

Brittany: 35:23
Yeah, yeah.

Now something else you mentioned—that was so obvious, yet so subtle—you wouldn’t think of it—is how diet plays a role in bone health, joints, muscles, and all that.

That’s the next step.

You want to keep yourself flexible and strong, but the basis of all that is your diet—how you fuel yourself, how you fuel your cells.

Vickie: 36:00
Yeah, so I’ve mentioned that at the very heart of this book is community. I really reached out to my own community for many aspects of it. For example, the yoga instructor in the book is actually my brother’s wife. The trainer I mentioned was my former trainer. And the nutrition information comes from Dr. Michelle Lane. She’s a professor of nutrition who helped lead the nutrition department at Texas State University. She also happens to be my neighbor, and she crochets too!

We’ve talked at length about how nutrition affects the body in many ways, so I asked her to speak directly about bones, joints, and muscles—the things we crafters rely on most. She put together a detailed write-up—she’s a professor, after all. I originally asked for just a blurb, but she gave me a very in-depth two-page spread on omega polyunsaturated fatty acids, calcium, vitamin D, and the foods that provide these nutrients for physical health.

Brittany: 37:25
Yeah, and I think that’s relatable for everybody. We all have our own dietary restrictions and preferences, but at its core, these are really basic elements. No matter how you eat, I think there’s a way to incorporate these nutrients into your diet. Did she share any personal stories about how these have helped her personally?

Vickie: 38:00
Not really. I think this has just been her life for so long—it’s what she practices. It’s not just for me that she focused on these elements; she’s spent years studying vitamin A and D. This is her life’s work, and that’s been the effect on her life.

Brittany: 38:24
Yeah, that’s interesting. Another area I want to touch on as we wind down this journey is mindfulness. I mentioned earlier that I really enjoy the process, maybe even more than the finished project. Mindfulness is a big part of that process, and you talk about it in the book. What did you learn about mindfulness as it relates to us as knitters and crocheters?

Vickie: 39:01
This is another time I reached out to my community. The woman I turned to is someone I practiced Pilates with for years—my friend Chelsea DeCroft. She’s a psychotherapist, life coach, spiritual leader, and also a knitter.

In the book, she talks about the neuroscience of creativity and how being creative affects your brain. Then she moves into mindfulness—not just how knitting and crocheting influence mindfulness, but also how the way we approach our craft can be more mindful.

She says it much more eloquently than I can, but basically, it’s about giving yourself a break: stop focusing on what you’re doing wrong, breathe, and just let the process happen.

It’s a really interesting couple of pages that help readers learn not only about the benefits of the craft but also how changing your perspective a little can create a more mindful, meaningful experience.

Brittany: 40:29
Yeah, I’m curious—do you practice meditation?

Vickie: 42:01
The truthful answer? Not really. The honest answer? I really intend to.

I do a little bit, but not in the traditional sense of sitting cross-legged and focused. A lot of what I do is repeating phrases to myself or, as I’m drifting off, hyper-focusing on gratitude and what I want and have already received. So, not technical meditation, but in a general sense, yes.

Brittany: 42:44
I relate to that a lot. Meditation is different for everyone. I started with Headspace last year—that’s a traditional meditation app with some free guided meditations and a paid model.

Later, I moved to something called the Muse—a device that gives instant feedback on whether you’re meditating “correctly” based on your brainwaves.

Vickie: 43:35
So we’re back to being perfectionists!

Brittany: 43:37
Right! That’s a common theme for me. But using that device taught me meditation is different for everyone. I think you explained your practice perfectly.

Today, I meditate more like you do. I use the Muse less because I feel I know what it feels like to calm my mind. Before, I didn’t know what it was like not to have constant thoughts, and the Muse helped with that.

I also believe there’s a strong sense of meditation in creating—even if we don’t call it that. When we zone out on an easy pattern or hyper-focus on a complex one, that can be meditation.

I wanted to highlight that in the book because I think it’s worth checking in to see if we’re already practicing meditation through our craft and benefiting from it.

Vickie: 45:11
Absolutely. To put a period on it: knitting itself can be meditative, as you mentioned. For me, I usually choose projects that aren’t super technically difficult so I can let my mind wander.

When I started knitting years ago, I didn’t do well sitting still. Knitting helped me channel that energy and calm my mind enough to tune into life and family.

There are many ways people incorporate meditation into their lives.

Brittany: 46:09
I agree! That’s a great way to put it.

There are a couple other cool sections I wanted to highlight because, as you said, this book is unique in what’s available right now.

One fun section is Astrology for Knitters—and I want to clarify, it’s not just knitters; the book includes crocheters too.

I thought the astrology part was super fun to read if you’re into that.

Vickie: 46:47
Yeah, it was meant to be fun, and it underlines the point that when you love something, you incorporate it into every aspect of your life.

This was a great addition to the intention section.

Carrie Ann Godwin, an astrologist based in the UK (originally Australian), wrote the knit astrology column for a magazine called Knit One, which no longer exists.

Tricia Malcolm, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Knitting, put us in touch, and I was thrilled Carrie Ann was willing to write fun blurbs for all the zodiac signs for this book.

Brittany: 47:42
Yeah, I thought it was fun! Just to share: I’m an Aquarius, and I read the Amazing Aquarius section.

Vickie: 48:37
The woman who wrote the mindfulness and neuroscience section is also an Aquarius.

Brittany: 48:51
Oh, that’s interesting!

Vickie: 48:52
So there you go.

Brittany: 48:53
Another fun section I wanted to breeze over is knitting and numerology—I’d never heard of that before. I went through it and found out my life path number is nine.

Speaker 02: 49:17
Okay.

Brittany: 49:17
The book has a little swatch for each life path, and I thought it would be really fun to knit mine.

Vickie: 49:28
That was just meant to be fun! I actually had a numerology reading with Dr. Felicia Bender as part of some introspective birthday stuff.

I also had crystal readings and a tarot reading from Diva Zappa, who’s also featured in this book.

After all that, I asked Dr. Bender if I could excerpt parts of her website and book, and tie it into knitting somehow.

There are so many numbers in knitting and crochet, so I thought it would be fun to link them.

Knitting and numerology isn’t an actual thing, but it was a fun idea and she was up for it.

She provided descriptions for the life path numbers and how to calculate them.

Then I found stitch patterns that match the numbers of stitches or rows, and also fabric qualities that lined up with the personality traits of each number.

It was a fun project for me.

I’m doing events where people figure out their life path number and knit the corresponding swatch—like one at Craftcation in April, and hopefully one in Denver where Dr. Bender lives.

It’s a light, fun event looking at the craft in a totally different way.

Brittany:
Right, right. It’s just another way for us to connect the dots and make it a little more meaningful.

Vickie:
Yeah.

Brittany:
Now, outside of all of that, there’s so much more in this book we haven’t even touched on. You mean the actual knitting and crochet? Yeah, that’s only half the book. There are so many patterns in here—it’s amazing. And they include both knit and crochet projects.

Vickie:
It’s true, but to be fair, the majority of the patterns are knit—I don’t want to misrepresent that to my crochet-only friends. But there are definitely several crochet patterns in there.

Brittany:
Okay, great! This is a wonderful book to pick up. I’d love for you to share where listeners can get their hands on a copy. I’m already on page 40 and ecstatic about it. But seriously, there’s so much goodness in here. So where can people find it?

Vickie:
It’s everywhere! You can get it on Amazon, at local independent bookstores, and if your yarn store doesn’t have it, ask them to carry it—that would be awesome. I also sell it on my website, yarnyay.com. Really, you can get it wherever you like to shop for books. And if you tag me @VickiHowell in anything you share from the book or that resonates with you, I’d really appreciate it. It takes a village to get the word out about a book these days.

Brittany:
I’ve heard that too. Reviews are a huge part of spreading the word. I know many people, myself included, like to buy from Amazon, so leaving a review there would be really helpful for you.

Vickie:
Absolutely, and I appreciate every five-star review! But if you didn’t love it, I’d rather you not leave a review than a negative one—consider that a favor!

Brittany:
Got it! I’ll include a link to the book on Amazon in the show notes, since that’s where I usually purchase.

Thank you so much for doing this! I know it’ll be a real treat for someone in the audience. Like I said, I’m really enjoying the book and appreciate the chance to chat about it. There’s so much more in here, but we can only scratch the surface today. You’ve got to get the book—it’s wonderful.

Vickie:
Thank you, I appreciate it.

Brittany:
If people want to connect with you after this episode, I’m sure they can find you by searching your name, but what’s your favorite place to connect? Instagram?

Vickie:
Instagram is great—just @VickiHowell. Also Facebook, same handle.

Brittany:
Perfect! I’ll share that in the show notes so no one has to remember. Vicki, thank you again—it’s been a real pleasure.

Vickie:
Thank you.

Brittany:

Just so you know, this isn’t a sponsored episode—I’m simply fired up about this book.

If you want a copy, it’s widely available and I’ll have an Amazon link in the show notes.

And like Vicki said, if you get the book, snap a photo and share it with her on social—that’s really helpful.

Also, leaving reviews helps spread the word and supports authors like Vicki.

Alright, that’s it for this episode of the Be Hooked Podcast.

Thank you so much for joining me, for listening every week, subscribing, and leaving reviews. It all helps the show and keeps me motivated.

I’ll see you next week, my friend!