Sponsor: I wanted to thank this week’s sponsor, Feel Good Yarn Co, the creator of SilverSpun yarn. This incredible cotton and silver blend yarn is produced using only American sourced fibers and is spun by the folks at North Carolina State University. Aside from it’s beautiful texture and stitch definition, SilverSpun yarn has some pretty amazing therapeutic and thermal properties because of it’s unique silver content, which you’ll hear a lot more about in this episode. They recently introduced two new products, a colored version of their flagship product, the sport weight SilverSpun yarn and a new fingering weight version of the SilverSpun…perfect for socks, shawls and other knits. Make sure to visit feelgoodyarnco.com for more information and to buy this very special yarn.
Fiber folk: One of my favorite things since starting this podcast is being introduced to some of the most amazing people in the fiber industry and the things they are up to. One such person is the spirited Laurie Gonyea of Feel Good Fiber Co, who is doing something pretty exciting with her yarn SilverSpun. As I got to know Laurie a bit better, I loved seeing and hearing her enthusiasm, not only for this great product, but for entrepreneurism and how these two things combined can have a very positive affect on many peoples lives…as makers, as receivers and as women and mothers in business. You can find Laurie at feelgoodyarnco.com and on Instagram @feelgoodyarnco.
Earlier this Summer, Courtney Spainhower of Pink Brutus Knits posted a helpful and thorough review of the SilverSpun yarn…I encourage you to check it out to learn more from another knitter/designer’s perspective.
Giveaway: The winner of last week’s giveaway, is Laura! You’ve won a copy of Sequence Knitting by Cecelia Campchiaro from Knitterly and a 3-pack of the Knitters Graph Paper Journal from Rowan Morrison Books. Congratulations!
This week’s giveaway is sponsored by Feel Good Yarn Co and we’re giving away the Pompeii hat kit, which includes a skein of natural SilverSpun yarn and a skein of dyed SilverSpun yarn, along with the Pompeii Hat pattern. To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post.
149 Comments
Oh, I can’t wait to hear a new episode. The Yar is just sooo gorgeous from the Feel Good Yarn Co!!!
Lovely once again! Thanks for the chance to win. 🙂
silver in yarn? hmmm. gotta try it.
Thanks for another wonderful podcast.
I would love to win….maybe someday! I would love to try the Silverspun yarn and knit the hat.
Thank you
Sounds like such a great company!
sign me up for the raffle, just listened to the podcast. As always, you have such interesting people to talk to.
I loved listening to Laurie’s enthusiasm about her yarn and company!
Oh, I would love to try this! I stuggle to stay warm, this sounds like a lovely solution.
I would so love to try this yarn!
I’d really love to try this yarn! I’d knit a pair of house socks for my mother, who broke her ankle several years ago and still has a lot of residual pain and arthritis in that foot.
What a wonderful company. Thanks for highliting them!
Neat-o, I will be looking for this yarn.
I am so intrigued by the various benefits of knitting with this yarn. I grew up in Raleigh, and I love that this is spun/produced right at NC State. I’m excited to see Laurie’s company continue to grow!
I look forward to the next episode of Woolful more than any other podcast — always something new in the fiber world to learn about!
What a fascinating yarn and story! My grandma has arthritis in her hands and used to knit and crochet but can not anymore- I will be making her some mitts with this yarn!
I would love to try this yarn!
I would love to try this yarn. It has such interesting qualities. Thanks for sharing the stories about its therapeutic value.
Interesting podcast!
I loved hearing Laurie’s stories about this yarn. Very inspiring!
HMm another lovely episode and gift. Never before tried silver in yarn. Fun.
I’ve wanted to try the SilverSpun yarn for a long time. I’m very curious about it.
I have already bought and knit with this yarn … so I know I would love to win some more!
Great podcast as always.
Thanks for another informative podcast! I’d never heard of SilverSpun before. Really neat.
what a delight to listen to you and Laurie today! Made my morning!
I love this idea! My mom has diabetes, and I think I’m going to get some to knit her some socks. Or maybe I’ll wait and see if I win. 🙂
Great podcast. The yarn sounds fantastic. Love how it is able to help people.
Thank you for the podcast.
Cute hat! I’ve just moved to Vermont andI have a feeling I will need to knit several warm hats for the winter 🙂
What a great yarn and accompanying story!
Feel Good Yarn Company… What a GREAT name! Like, “you had me at “Feel Good”! gotta have it!
Oooh this would be perfect socks for my opa!! Even if I don’t win, it’s on my list to order in the near future!! What a cleaver idea 🙂
Thank you for sharing this story – I loved the anecdotes about the way that the yarn and knitting have positively impacted people’s lives. You’re right – it’s “just yarn”, but it’s so much more than that. Every Woolful episode I listen to gets me one step closer to (one day) starting a wool/knitting focused business. Thank you for that, Ashley!
Very interesting episode. Sounds like a good yarn to try out to see if it can help my husband’s neuropathy that he developed post cancer treatment
Laurie’s enthusiasm for her yarn is infectious! I’d love to try it out.
what an exciting yarn & giveaway!
What a joyful lady! I felt good just listening to her stories. Was also really great to hear her talk about the very real business challenges we all face as startup business owners. It’s comforting to know that even successful businesses don’t pay themselves off for longer than many of us expect.
You seem to have guests on your show that I have heard of and am completely intrigued about! What a lovely podcast and ever so grateful to feel connected to other fiber folk.
This is awesome!!! I live in NC- about an hour east of NCSU. I recently purchased towels & washcloths that contain silver and was thrilled to listen to this podcast this morning. I am going to order some- I have a friend with MS and I want to make her something!!!!
I remember seeing the pattern for the connectivity gloves on Knitty and just being amazed by what people are successfully making into yarn. It is wonderful to see you really taking off with this, Laurie. As a knitter with rheumatoid arthritis I feel motivated to try the silver spun for gloves and socks to help me stay active.
Amazing episode as always! I’ve never heard about silver spoon yarn and now I really have to try it, hope they are shipping to Australia 🙂
Excellent episode! It’s rare that a non-wool yarn grabs my interest, but I would LOVE to try Silver Spun. Cudos to you Laurie for a great product & business.
Absolutely delightful episode. Her enthusiasm is contagious. A miracle fiber! Can’t wait to knit fingerless gloves my aunt who does not knit anymore due to arthritis.
Loving your podcast and knowledge it brings
I’m loving your pocast, however often you are able to post one.
I want to try fingerless mitts.
I’m going to have to give that Silver Spun a try. It sounds really great.
I’m looking forward to listening to this podcast. Thanks for providing such great podcasts — so enjoyable!
I ran across this yarn at the Crafty Bastards fair in Washington DC a few years ago and always regretted not getting a skein to try. Can’t wait to hear more about it in this episode!
Thanks for the great information on this cotton and silver yarn and for the giveaway!
I am in Love! I would absolutely love to try some of the yarn! I’m hoping to save up some money to buy some yarn and make a sweater for my wedding (feb in SD) out of your amazing yarn! Plus I would love to try it out for my family’s health problems! Love your product and thanks for sharing
I have known about the EMF protecting properties of silver, but to hear about the thermal, therapeutic, and conductive aspects was fascinating! And now i can blend health with hand crafts- fabulous!
Going to have to try some of this yarn.
Fascinating yarn, and that hat kit is gorgeous!
Another beautiful giveaway and great podcast–thank you!
I loved this episode–such an interesting story and yarn! If I don’t win I will have to buy some of this magical yarn and make myself some fingerless mitts. I’m a potter and I often have weary hands at the end of a long studio day.
This yarn is so amazing!
Love the podcast! And I’d love to test out this beautiful yarn 🙂
Great Podcast! I just ordered some yarn while I was listening. I was intrigued to use it for fingerless gloves….as a massage therapist, my hands will take all the help they can get!!
Listening to Woolful has introduced me to so many fascinating new yarns and makers and entrepreneurs! There’s so much inspiration it’s hard to keep up with all the new yarns and projects I want to explore!
Very interested in this yarn. My aching hands (and also my daughter’s) would appreciate fingerless gloves. Thanks for the chance!
Sigh. Such a fun episode and so cute how she got so excited about people liking her yarn.
Oh my goodness, what an interesting yarn! I think I saw that pattern on Knitty and just assumed it was more of a gimmick, but after hearing Laurie talk about it I want to use SilverSpun to knit ALL the things!!! Especially a sleeve for myself (too much knitting and screen time!) and my mom for her tennis elbow. And my mother-in-law is diabetic, so she clearly needs socks. Oh, and fingerless mittens for her arthritis… See! ALL the things! :p
Love the story! Follow me @liisalainen on instagram 🙂
I found Laurie’s enthusiasm and gumption to be very inspiring. Thank you for another great episode and another great giveaway!
Beautiful! Thanks for the chance to win!
Silver! I’d love to try it!
Wow! This sounds like some amazing yarn that I need to try. Thanks for a great podcast!
Exciting! Therapeutic properties? Wow!
My mother suffers from arthritis (and taught me how to knit). Am thinking I know exactly what I ought to make her for her birthday coming up…
Loved this episode and found it very interesting.
This yarn would be great for a cowl. It could help to alleviate pain too. Very interesting podcast.
Would very much like to give this yarn a try.
I have many people in my life with arthritis and will be trying this yarn soon. Thanks for the opportunity to win some.
Beautiful yarn! Always look forward to your stories!
Hearing about this yarn and it’s properties has given me some ideas for things to knit for people in my life who would benefit from the healthy, healing effects. I need to have some!
Loved Laurie’s entrepreneurial energy. Very intrigued by this yarn!
Thank you for the opportunity to learn about the therapeutic properties of this yarn. It’s Father’s Day tomorrow and my dad suffers from arthritis in his hands quite badly. It’s going to be a little late but I’ve decided to make him some fingerless mitts in the hopes they help his hands. Thank you!
lovely pattern, thanks for the give away!
Joyce
Super interesting podcast…am so curious about this yarn and if it would help with Raynaud’s! Thanks again for the chance to win! 🙂
How interesting to learn about this unusual yarn. I’d love to give it a try!
Very interesting podcast! Learned something new about silver. Thanks!
Juliaknit on Ravelry
My first woolful podcast, love it! Thank you for sharing this amazing entrepreneur and her journey. Best of luck with your business
I found this latest podcast very interesting,I suffer with arthritis in my hands I would loves chance to try out this yarn
Great episode! Having grown up in Michigan, I was especially excited to hear this episode. Sounds like I need to pick up some Feel Good Yarn to make something for my grandma. Amazing!
I had no idea about the healing properties of silver. I must try some fingerless gloves for my mom who has arthritis in her hands.
This is the first fiber-related podcast I’ve ever listened to and now I am hooked! I really loved this episode and now I’m working my way back through the archives 🙂 I can’t wait for the next episode!
Silver spun sounds really cool.
This yarn sounds so interesting–& Great interview!
– just love your podcasts, keep up the great work!!
Once again, woolful is a treat! Planning to make Connectivity gloves & told my friend with diabetic foot issues about the socks! Thank you for continuing to broaden my horizons!
As a materials engineer, I was particularly interested in this episode. I’ve always loved silver for its biocompatible and anti-microbial properties. Also, it’s great that the conductive properties of silver can be harnessed for touch screen technology. I’d love to play with and study some of this yearn. It looks lovely.
Wowsers! I’m constantly amazed at the innovations in yarn!! I’m going to go broke having to try it all but this silver spun sounds amazing! I’m ordering some to knit mittens for my partner. Arthritis has slowed him down so much, and at only 37, I’d love to ease his pain and get crafty at the same time! xx
This episode was so interesting and what amazing yarn!
This yarn sounds so amazing that I just ordered two skeins – one in each weight to make mittens and socks. I have Raynaud’s (a circulatory condition that results in fingers and toes that go numb as the temperature does down) and I’m hoping that these mittens and socks will help keep my fingers and toes from getting painfully cold this winter. Thanks for introducing us to this yarn and I hope I win the hat kit!
What a fascinating product!
Very beautiful! Thanks for one more giveaway.
Wonderful podcast , such enthusiasm! Would love to try their yarn!
This yarn is fascinating! I can’t wait to get my hands on some.
Oh my goodness – that yarn looks wonderful!
Can you point me to the pattern for the natural glove in progress? Thanks!
Hi Susan. The pattern is Antiquity Mitts by Alicia Plummer. Here is the Ravelry link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/antiquity
So inspiring! I think I’ll knit a “knee sleeve” for my husband’s arthritic knee. I’ll let you know if he starts hiking with me again!
That was so interesting, I’d never heard of yarn with silver before. Love the yoga socks – great idea!
Really enjoyed hearing about how Silver Spun yarn came about!
I really enjoyed this episode! It’s much easier to remember and focus on one person per podcast. I often listen to them while I’m driving and if the trip is short, it’s hard to remember where I left off. Thanks again for sharing fiber love with your fiber fans!
Very interesting episode!
Interesting idea. I love that she worked with NC State. Such a great opportunity for both her and the school/students. Can’t wait to check out the yarn. Thanks for sharing it with us Ashley!
Ok, I’m an NPR nut; but Laurie totally blows Don out of the water in the ‘Coolest for the Geeks’ competition. I wish I was in their family! BTW–I was told by an Episcopal priest that the reason communion chalices were made out of silver was their anti microbial properties.
So interesting! I’d love to try this out.
I have wanted to knit with Silver Spun for so long! This hat would be perfect for the cold portland winters!
I just finished listening to this episode and I’m going to have to try the knitted sleeve idea. I was in a car accident two weeks ago and I’ve had a lot of nerve pains in my left arm. The worst part has been I can’t knit as often as I like, but maybe that would help me! Thanks for the podcast!
I first saw Feel Good Yarn Co in one of the knitting magazines – instantly intrigued! I’ve been following Laurie and the yarns ever since. I love that the yarn is now available in other colors and I can’t wait to see what else comes from FGY! 🙂
First time listener to the podcast- love it!
This sounds like really interesting yarn! I enjoyed hearing how the company started. Thanks for the chance to win!
What a pretty hat! Would love to make it 🙂
As soon as Laurie said MS, I couldn’t help but stop what I was doing and listen oh so attentively. My mom was diagnosed with MS 15 years ago and aches all over her body. I’m hoping to make her some gloves for this winter because she types all day at her job, which leaves chronic pain in her wrists and forearms. I want to surprise her with a lovely gift that sounds like it will help her manage that pain.
Also, for any others with family or friends that have MS, bravelets.com has a section of jewelry dedicated to MS and they donate $10 of each product to the selected cause.
So I’m purchasing a bracelet that has Be Brave inscribed on the inside and hope to knit her a pair of gloves to go with it!
Lovely podcast! I listen religiously and have never commented until now because I always thought someone else deserves that yarn over me. But this time around, it’s perfect because my mom deserves the world! As do all moms!
Have a lovely rest of your week, fiber folk!
I’m thinking about knitting up Steven West’s shorts with this yarn to help my arthritic hip!
Fascinating! I once had the idea of a therapeutic yarn using herbs like lavender. 🙂 Would love to win this yarn if I’m not too late to enter!
Interesting episode and what a wonderful concept! I really enjoyed listening.
Such an inspiring story! Especially how the yarn helped the woman with MS. I always knew yarn was magical!
What a wonderful episode! I love the life-changing stories.
Great interview! Very interesting story. I would love to win a kit from Feel Good Yarn.
What a interesting episode, again! Really interesting yarn 🙂
Silver! It has me imagining projects for friends experiencing neuropathy and arthritis, school auctions that need a splash of fancy, etc. If I win this, I will pick up myself – I live in town. Pick me, Pick me!
Fascinating and inspiring interview!
Following listening to this episode, I purchased some yarn to create a gift for a friend who suffers from arthritis in her hands and also loves her iPad. I can’t see where I could go wrong here. Such a great thought to add therapeutic properties to something we’re going to wear already.
Such beautiful yarn, and such a neat idea to incorporate silver. The testimonies are amazing!
So many ideas for this yarn: my mother has arthritis in her wrists, I have it in my neck and my son has neuropathic stomach pain. I would love to try it!
Would love to see if socks would help arthritis in my toes!
Lovely interview, and I was interested to hear about the historical uses of silver. That yarn sounds like the stuff of dreams!
I will have to definitely save up and buy some of this wonderful yarn.
Sounds like miracle yarn and beautiful to boot! Thanks again for a great episode and giveaway!
What wonderful information – the Dr’s carrying silver and using it as part of their treatment was fascinating! Just Yarn – bah! that’s like saying Just Air. in my world ! Thanks for the wonderful podcasts, I’m marathon listening right now and learning so much.
I cannot wait to knit with this yarn! Sounds wonderful! I am heading over to the website to have a look.
What a fascinating episode! I’m really intrigued and would love to try out this yarn. Thanks for the giveaway!
pretty hat ad the addition of silver to yarn is interesting.
Beautiful patterns and lovely yarns.
After listening to this podcast, I am terribly excited about silver spun yarn. I think the therapeutic potential for knitwear is enormous. I’m curious what the prospects might be for garments or accessories for individuals with autism. Thank you so much.
Thank you for another interesting interview……I had “heard” a bit of the yarn with silver spun into it, but didn’t get
how cool it may be…..until listening to this great episode, now heading over to look at Laurie’s website and check this yarn out in more detail…..Hope you are well Ash, tell us about your adventures in Idaho 🙂
You’ve piqued my curiosity. Thanks for the opportunity.
I’ve never heard of this yarn before, how cool! I would love to explore more uses with the silver yarn!
Would like to hear another interview with Laurie. She covered a lot of ground and I am very interested in her comments on entrepreneurs and her fiber journey. Thank you Ashley!
Love Laurie’s enthusiasm and go get it attitude. Very interested in trying some Silver Spun in the future. Thanks for all you do in the fiber community!
[…] I also have to extend a very big thank you to Feel Good Yarn Co who sponsored this KAL, including the prizes. I worked directly with Laurie who was kind and warm and fun to work with at each turn. I am so grateful for her generosity & enthusiasm and for all she puts into making the fabulous SilverSpun yarn. If you want to get to know Laurie a bit better (and trust me, you do!), I encourage you to pop over to the Woolful Podcast where she & her SilverSpun story is featured in Episode 33. […]
This yarn sounds so neat!
I’m so happy to learn about this yarn. I can’t wait to try it!
I am listening to this tonight and love it. This is my first podcast ever, I think.
So inspiring and filled with wonderful facts about silver. Love to see the pictues as well.
[…] Woolful Podcast Episode 33 with Laurie Gonyea Interview here […]
[…] and thermal properties because of it’s unique silver content, which you can hear more about in episode 33. They’ve introduced two new products, a colored version of their flagship product, the sport […]
[…] to silver, the yarn gets therapeutic and thermal properties. How amazing ! You can hear about it HERE and find Feel Good company […]