To listen and watch: Desamour Designs Podcast Episode 1: Yarn, Life, New Patterns
In this episode, Elisabeth introduces the new podcast for Desamour Designs! Consisting of genuine reviews and recommendations for new yarn, showing off new patterns, and highlighting the work of BIPOC, this episode is full of relevant information for anyone and everyone in the crochet community.
Elisabeth also takes the time to discuss a little bit about herself, what’s currently going on in her life, and how she implements her heritage and background into her work.
I’m naming all of my patterns using Haïtian Creole words now just because, for me, it’s more meaningful. It means a lot more to have something that’s from my heritage.
What’s Discussed?
0:22 Yarn Life
- Wonderfluff in Kale Heather, Bare, and Finnley Heather
- Chroma Twist in Sedona, Fathoms, Tiki, and Wednesday
- Comfy Worsted Weight in Hawk, Ivory, and Copper
- Lionbrand 24/7 Yarn in Charcoal and Taupe
7:54 New Patterns Coming Soon
- Collaboration with @tina.say.knits
- Nèg Inkoni Backpack (Free Pattern)
- Other Pattern Samples: In The Forest of the Night Cardi, Gemini Triangle Scarf, Dragonfly Tee, The Giving Beanie, High Low Sweater
12:15 What’s Going on in Elisabeth’s Life?
- A second 30th birthday celebration
- A reflection on Whole 30 and Chloe Ting workouts
16:01 BIPOC Showcase
- Morine! Follow her on Instagram @morines_shop and support her shop Morine’s Shop
And Don’t Forget!
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Desamour Designs Podcast Episode 1: Full Transcript
0:01 Welcome to the first episode of Desamour Design my names Elisabeth and you can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram @desamourdesigns. Please subscribe to my channel as I’m very new and I would love for you to keep seeing my videos. Don’t forget to hit the notification bell so you can be notified anytime I post a new video. So, let’s just jump right into this podcast.
0:22 The first section of this podcast is going to be called Yarn Life. Yarn Life is where I will be chatting to you guys about any new yarn that happens to be in my stash. So, the first, before I could talk about the first yarn, all the yarns I’ll be talking about today are gifted to me by my friends from We Crochet. We Crochet is a segment of knit picks, but it created a website just for us crocheters, so go ahead and visit them and get you some yarn and crochet hooks because we’re tired of not being considered in this community. 1:01 The first yarn I’m going to be talking about is Chroma Twist. The colorway, this colorway I’m holding in my hand is Wednesday and I love it just because it’s gray with more gray. Like look at it. In the inside of it you can see the lighter shade of the gray which I like. So, this one I’m going to keep it in my stash for me. I’m not sharing it with anyone. I think I have two balls of this one so yeah, I’ll make something for that. 1:38 The next color is called Tiki, it’s yellow with orange and some pink in it. I think it’s very cheery, I like it. Um, I think I’ll keep it here with me. What do you guys think? Might go back there, decoration. Yeah, no, okay. But either way. I like this color where I’m usually not a fan of yarns with multicolors in it, but I’m surprised that I’m liking this one. Well, let’s be honest, when I first received these yarns I did not like these just because my first reaction was: lots of color. It’s going to be too busy for me. 2:22 But, I swatched the next one that I’m going to show you. I swatched that one and kind of it reminded me of watercolor. I swatched it in a Tunisian simple stitch and I really like it so, yeah, I’m keeping all of them to myself. 2:38 The next color is Fathoms and this one is, let me show you closer, this one has a lot of greens and blues mixed in together. I think I’m keeping this one to make a baby blanket for my friends who’s expecting and so I think I’ll make a baby blanket. I think two balls of this will make a nice sized baby blanket, so yeah, that’s what I’m keeping it for. And I might use the yellow ones for the other babies that we’re going to eventually find out about, because coronavirus, need I say more? No? Okay. 3:22 So, the final color is very similar in my opinion to Tiki, but darker shades. Because when you open it up, you’ll see similar colors as Tiki in there. It’s a very, it’s a darker version and it has a lot of purple and if you look in the middle, you’ll see some of the color ways of Tiki in there. So, this one if I were to use it, I would definitely pair it with this one (Tiki) so I could make something with it. So, I would round it so that I can pull the Tiki color so that it can look like a better transition. So, these two I think when I’m using them, I’ll be using them together. 4:19 The next yarn I’m doing to show you guys is, how do I explain this, it’s so fluffy, like seriously, it is fluffy. Um, there you go, it’s called Wonderfluff. Seriously, it’s called Wonderfluff. But I have a few ideas planned for this. I think I definitely know that it’s not going to be a scarf or a hat just because I feel like the friction of putting it on and putting it off and the friction of the scarf rubbing on your body and on your other clothes might make it shed a lot. So, I know that’s not going to be it. It has to be something like a cardigan or a sweater, something like that. 5:17 So, this color is called Finnely Heather. It has 142 yards and 50 grams. It’s 70% baby alpaca, 23% nylon, and 7% merino wool. It’s hand washed and dried flat. We are fancy here. Hand wash. Seriously guys. This is definitely something I’m going to wear on a day when I feel stuntin’ on these people. Yeah. 5:41 So the other color I have in this is Kale Heather which hey if you hear the name Kale, it’s a very dark leafy green with some blues in it and light mossy green. Like the fresh mossy color. That’s the one. And the last one I received in this bare, which pretty much is this colorway minus the gray. So that’s what the bare is. And I’ve heard some people dyed their fair yarn and the only thing that’s reported back is that it loses some of it’s volume. That after that it’s pretty good. It’s literally that the alpaca, the baby alpaca is blown into this nylon mesh that’s keeping it together so that it doesn’t look woven. Well, it looks kind of unwoven to me. I’m really excited to work with these three. Just let me know what you would make with them if you’re ever in the comments below. Please, let me know what you would make with them, because I’m still on the fence with what to design with this. But I know it would be something definitely that I will have to have coming out in winter or maybe late fall. Yeah. Because this is warm and soft. Oh, I forgot to tell you guys about how much yarn is in the Chroma Twist. So, Chroma Twist has 218 yards and 100 grams and is machine wash and tumble dry. You gotta love that, because I love being able to take something I make and throw it into the washer and dryer and not have to worry about it. It’s 70% superwash wool and 30% nylon. I feel like for, I think it’s $11.99, that’s a lot of yarn for $11.99. And this one is $8.99 and you get 50 grams. So, yeah. I feel like you can make a lot with those two. That’s budget friendly in my opinion, when it comes to yarn.
7:54 So, the next section is going to be what I’m calling from now, New Pattern Coming Soon. Please, if you have a better idea because my idea is boring, comment it down below so I can change the name of this section. So, the first pattern I’m going to show you guys is this top that I designed in collaboration with Tina, from Tina Say Knits, you can find her on Instagram @tina.say.knits. Her version is already, well, both of our versions are shared on our pages and we plan on releasing this at the end of July. So, there you go. If you’re on my Facebook or Instagram page, you’ve already seen this. That’s my version. That’s my version of the top. The back is very simple, it’s Tunisian crocheted because her version is knit and I wanted them to be very similar but not the same. And with Tunisian crochet you can still get the look of knitting without it being knitted. And so, and also, mine is different in the number of stripes you have and her stripes are on the other side and on her back as well. My back is very simple and straight main color. Her’s has the stripes on both sides. Those are the differences but to me it’s the same pattern. I promise you. It’s the same, and I love it. Yeah. 9:31 So, this one is called Konfòtab which is comfortable in Haitian Creole. I’m naming all of my patterns using Haitian Creole words now just because for me it’s more meaningful, it means a lot more to have something that’s from my heritage versus just a basic name like Stripy Top. Or, I don’t know, something like that. So, to me that’s more meaningful so that’s what I’m starting to do. 9:59 The next one I have; it has already been released. It’s a free pattern on Two Brothers Blankets website. It’s this backpack that I have. It’s called Nèg Inkoni. Nèg Inkoni is Creole again for unknown man. The mask is something that you find in a lot of African culture and a lot of Black Caribbean cultures. They usually have wooden masks for leather masks. And so, I really wanted to use something that’s from my culture in this one, besides just the name of it. I’m trying to create a collection of patterns where I pay homage to my motherland, which is Haiti, that’s where I grew up and where my family is from. And so, this is the second pattern that I’ve created in that collection. However, I can’t share the first pattern with you yet, because I just can’t share it with you yet. Yet, very soon it will be coming out and I will be able to show it all to you. So, this is a free pattern on Two Brothers Blanket. 11:12 The straps from Perfect Yarns, it came with the closer and the leather bottom, which is very nice and sturdy. That’s pretty much all I have to tell you about it. Just go ahead and check out the pattern on her website and the graph from the front is easily downloadable so you’re not trying to make it bigger on the website trying to figure out which row you’re on or trying to print something that’s this size. You can download the PDF from the website for this. And please, do tag me if you make any of these patterns, like, tag me. I want to see what you’re making and the colors you’re choosing. I want to see it all! So, yeah. I think that’s it for new patterns coming soon. And please, do comment below if you have a better name for this section because, wow, I can do better than that. A lot better.
12:15 The next section is What’s Going on in Elisabeth’s Life? Whew! What’s new in my life? Last week actually, my family came down. I haven’t seen my family since January of last year. Yes, January of 2019. That’s the last time I saw them. So, they came down and on Thursday they had a surprise 30th birthday reboot for me, because last year when I turned 30 I was not in the country so they did a surprise party for me which was amazing. We had a lot of fun. 13:01 After that, on Monday, I started Whole 30. If you don’t know what Whole 30 is, it’s this, it’s not a diet, it’s eliminating food habit. You’re eliminating certain types of food groups like legumes, grains, dairy, anything, any food that can cause any dietary, digestive issues. So, you’re eliminating those for 30 days and then you’re reintroducing them for 10 days slowly to see how your body reacts to those things. I know personally that my body reacts, I get swollen and very bloated when I eat anything with flour. My rings won’t fit the same anymore, and you can literally see over my rings. So, I already know that. I’m waiting to see how my body reacts to other things. I don’t really eat that much dairy, so, that’s not something that I’m going to reintroduce to my diet. Well, I might reintroduce it because I don’t drink milk, but I do eat cheese. Because cheese is life. But I have to see how my body reacts to it after the 30 days. And, we are also doing Chloe Ting. Guys, if you’ve never heard of Chloe Ting. Seriously, she is something else. This girl has been beating me to death for 10 day. 10 days straight. Well not 10 days, but there’s a couple days in there where she’s given me an active rest day. But, yeah. If you don’t like planks and you want to do Chloe Ting, then you better learn to like planks. And her planks are not like regular planks. She’ll be like, “put your arm up, put this arm up, put your legs up, now try to walk” Like What! No! I’m not doing that! But you know what I ended up doing a lot of things that I said I wouldn’t be doing on that first day. It’s a really good workout and I think that once I’m done with the 28 days, today is day 11 of it, I think that it’s giving me a better, well it’s making me feel stronger, it’s making me feel a lot leaner. I haven’t weighed myself yet because I’m waiting for the end of the 28 days to weigh myself and take measurements, but I do feel a lot better in my body. And plus, it’s the fact that I’m doing the Whole 30, I am mostly eating vegetarian, in the first place, because I’m pescatarian, and most of my meals are vegetarian. I think I am focusing a lot more on better food and cleaner food now. And my portion controls versus anything else. But, yeah, I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now to be a better person. And this is what all that’s going on in Elisabeth’s life.
16:01 So the next section segment I want to cover is the last segment for today. It’s going to be where I showcase BIPOC designers and makers and dyers. Any BIPOC in the fiber community. If you don’t know this, I do host the BIPOC MAL yearly. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous People of Color. I do host a MAL, a Make Along, where BIPOC dyers and designers, their patterns and yarn are being showcased all throughout three months, six months, whichever one I decide. I already did one for earlier this year. I’m still playing with the idea of doing another one later this year, just because some of the people who wanted to participate voiced to me that the time wasn’t right for them, so, I am thinking of doing one again in the fall. If you would like to join or if you would like me to host another one in the fall, comment below and I’ll start planning it now. So, BIPOC, I’m going to be talking about one BIPOC or two BIPOC maker designer or dyer that I am supporting. Today, the one I am talking about is Morin. Her shop is @morines_shop and her handle on Instagram as well. And right now she started this whole, she started a section on her blog where she’s sharing stories and featuring new African, well not new African, but African crochet designers and makers. It’s amazing to me because as she was explaining at first, it was hard for her to find those people in this community. It was hard for her to find people who were African who were also making and crocheting and selling and putting their products out here. So, it is a great reach. She already has the first two blog posts on. I will link down below for you to read. And please definitely go to her Instagram page and support her.
18:16 And that’s it guys, for Desamour Design Podcast. Please subscribe to this channel if you are enjoying this video. Don’t forget to hit the thumbs up button and click the notification bell so you can be notified any time I post. Thank you and have a great week. Bye!
18:26 Full unboxing of the package from We Crochet.
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