Krista opens up about how overwhelmed she’s been lately and what it’s taken to get the Penny Linn Podcast and business back on a more regular rhythm. Fresh off a visit from her mom (Penny Linn’s unofficial team MVP and resident mahjong/needlepoint queen), she shares a peek into the Penny Linn universe: candy collabs inspired by her mom, new Tootsie finishing arriving in the shop, upcoming Eric Carle pieces (including a “very full” caterpillar), and the chaos of licensing deals, product development, and a new warehouse coming online right before Chinese New Year shutdowns.
She also gets honest about burnout, the emotional weight of what’s happening in the world, and how she uses needlepoint as both escape and anchor—especially in the 5–8 p.m. “survival mode” window with two little kids. Krista talks about taking life one step at a time, doing what you can (calling reps, donating, voting), and then coming back to stitching as a place that never judges you for stepping away.
In the second half of the episode, Krista sits down with one of the Penny Linn Collective’s newest designers, Kaitlin Lane, of Kaitlin Lane Designs. They dive into how Kaitlin fell into needlepoint in 2023 after the viral Calder Clark Christmas tree, why she started designing her own canvases when she couldn’t find what she wanted, and how her background in fish and wildlife management (!) and love of “old stuff” like The Beatles, Lord of the Rings, and classic cars all show up in her work.
Kaitlin shares the story behind her hit Wicked Queen Card canvas (and the full five‑card series), her Fellowship canvas, vintage car lineup, Anthropologie-inspired icon glass coasters, sweet nursery-friendly geese, SEC + MLB city rectangles, and her new Beatles coaster set—plus her very relatable confession that she’s stitched almost exclusively in DMC floss so far. They talk Stitchly vs. painting, designing by “stitching it into existence,” and what’s coming next from her Penny Linn collection.
If you love process talk, honest small business updates, and pop‑culture‑meets‑nostalgia needlepoint, this one’s for you.
