Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Welcome to I’ll Knit (& Spin!) If I want To! I asked y’all to send in some of your questions (from everything from fiber arts, to designing and on!) so I could put together a little video for y’all every Friday doing my best to answer your questions!
Sign up for my newsletter here: Sign up for the DRK Newsletter: eepurl.com/diPxsr
In this week’s episode we cover:
1. I’m almost done with my DRK Everyday cardigan and I’m so excited. I’ve got five button holes done and looking ahead to weaving in the loose yarn ends for each of the eight button holes. Do you have a method for ensuring those ends are not only neat, but secure? Thanks. Love your patterns and podcast.
2. Hello! I am knitting "Hey Sailor" at the moment and would be curious to hear what led you to engineer it bottom up (and not top down)? How do you generally decide on where to start on a project in terms of bottom up or top down?
3. I recently finished The Shift cowl, which I couldn’t get enough of, and now I’m debating making The Night Shift Shawl. I know the gauges are dramatically different but could I adapt it to a lighter weight? The yarns I’m considering from my stash are all Sport/Light DK weight. Let me know if there’s something really obvious I’m missing before I bite off more than I can chew. Thanks!
4. Hi Andrea! I’m currently prepping for my first Tour De Fleece! I’m currently planning to spin a 3 ply combo spin for your traveler shawl. I have three braids and I plan to use one for each ply. I was curious how you broke down the braids for each ply for your handspun traveler shawls. Did you spin from end to end or split the braids into smaller pieces so it’s more manageable? This is my first ever combo spin so I’m not sure how to go about spinning each braid/ply. I’ve only started spinning within the last year so any advice would be amazing! Thank you!
5. My question is about sewing. I would love to try sewing more but the machine I have now causes me nothing but headaches. Could you suggest a a beginner/budget friendly machine for me? I dream of making me made may outfits for next year!
6. Not exactly knitting-related …but you are aging so beautifully!!! Tell us all your physical/mental healthcare secrets and successes. Creating/knitting/being balanced in my social life is my mental health care, but I’m looking for other ideas for physical health routines. I love being active but the older I get the more I struggle finding something that “fits” me. You have mentioned walking and working out before, and I’ve always appreciated your openness in how you balance your time and your own physical health journey.
Today I am wearing LYS:
Ravelry: ravelry.com/patterns/library/lys-7
My Website: dreareneeknits.com/shop/lys
Ask a question for next week’s Q&A:
https://forms.gle/pKM9gF9SixkdQwmS7
Welcome to I’ll Knit (& Spin!) If I want To! I asked y’all to send in some of your questions (from everything from fiber arts, to designing and on!) so I could put together a little video for y’all every Friday doing my best to answer your questions!
Sign up for my newsletter here: Sign up for the DRK Newsletter: eepurl.com/diPxsr
In this week’s episode we cover:
1. I’m almost done with my DRK Everyday cardigan and I’m so excited. I’ve got five button holes done and looking ahead to weaving in the loose yarn ends for each of the eight button holes. Do you have a method for ensuring those ends are not only neat, but secure? Thanks. Love your patterns and podcast.
2. Hello! I am knitting "Hey Sailor" at the moment and would be curious to hear what led you to engineer it bottom up (and not top down)? How do you generally decide on where to start on a project in terms of bottom up or top down?
3. I recently finished The Shift cowl, which I couldn’t get enough of, and now I’m debating making The Night Shift Shawl. I know the gauges are dramatically different but could I adapt it to a lighter weight? The yarns I’m considering from my stash are all Sport/Light DK weight. Let me know if there’s something really obvious I’m missing before I bite off more than I can chew. Thanks!
4. Hi Andrea! I’m currently prepping for my first Tour De Fleece! I’m currently planning to spin a 3 ply combo spin for your traveler shawl. I have three braids and I plan to use one for each ply. I was curious how you broke down the braids for each ply for your handspun traveler shawls. Did you spin from end to end or split the braids into smaller pieces so it’s more manageable? This is my first ever combo spin so I’m not sure how to go about spinning each braid/ply. I’ve only started spinning within the last year so any advice would be amazing! Thank you!
5. My question is about sewing. I would love to try sewing more but the machine I have now causes me nothing but headaches. Could you suggest a a beginner/budget friendly machine for me? I dream of making me made may outfits for next year!
6. Not exactly knitting-related …but you are aging so beautifully!!! Tell us all your physical/mental healthcare secrets and successes. Creating/knitting/being balanced in my social life is my mental health care, but I’m looking for other ideas for physical health routines. I love being active but the older I get the more I struggle finding something that “fits” me. You have mentioned walking and working out before, and I’ve always appreciated your openness in how you balance your time and your own physical health journey.
Today I am wearing LYS:
Ravelry: ravelry.com/patterns/library/lys-7
My Website: dreareneeknits.com/shop/lys
Ask a question for next week’s Q&A:
https://forms.gle/pKM9gF9SixkdQwmS7
