Some times, a color hits us in the face when we're not expecting it. I mean, Pantone has declared the color of the season some sort of insipid orchid color that looks dated to me already. Though if you squint, I suppose one could call it purple-ish.
Instead, our designers told me what the color of the season is...and it's purple. Take a look at the patterns for this issue. We've got concord grape and periwinkle and iris and every flavor of purple you can imagine. Even some patterns that you see in teal or beige...click through and you'll find a purple version there, too.
Who are we to argue? Our designers have spoken!
Thankfully, for the purple haters (are there any?) or those who just prefer something else, we have a rainbow of colors represented, too, including red, yellow, brown and turquoise (my personal favorite). And though not all knitters do, you always can choose to knit any pattern in any color you wish. Express yourself! Maybe you're purple, or maybe you're ANTI-purple! We'd love to see what you create from our pages.
You might have noticed another change. Our content listings used to be spread over three indices, and we realized during production this issue that we could streamline them into one lovely thumbnail-filled page. Don't forget to scroll down!
We hope you find these changes helpful. Until we do a complete redesign of the site, making improvements like this is something we'll continue to do.
Like to win stuff? Who doesn't? Stay tuned to the knittyBlog where all our contests happen. Watch our Twitter feed just because it's fun and silly, and because if anything spontaneous happens, it gets announced there first! Join in the fun on our Facebook page. And tell new knitters, whenever you meet one, about Knitty. And imagine the look on their face the first time they sit down and click on our Library.
I teach a lot of knitting classes. Did you know? It's true.
To see if I'll be teaching anywhere near where you live or plan to visit, check out my personal website, and take a second to sign up for my totally unspammy mailing list. Next up, Brighton and Wantage in the UK...and then I stay put till fall when I teach in Vancouver for the first time!
Amy R Singer
[editor, Knitty]
photo: Amy
Singer
On the move
Summer is the time when three things happen simultaneously for spinners: travel, fiber festivals and that beginning of the shoulder tap, tap, tapping reminder that holiday gifts need be thought about, if not started.
When summer rolls around for me, my crafty brain splits in all of those directions, and they work well together. I happily knit big things when I'm a passenger in the car with air conditioning blowing across my handspun and my lap. I knit (and crochet and stitch) smaller things, sometimes gifts, when I'm outside (or in my case at a pool, watching diving) and I stash at the fiber shows, both fiber and ideas for the fall and winter to come.
This issue of Knittyspin has a little bit of all of that. There is the lovely Bloc Party cardigan by Kathleen Dames that would keep you busy on one or more long car trips; the saturated and stunning Arlen Cowl by Kris Carlson knit from gradient fiber and the perfectly gorgeous Katie Cowl by Maryse Roudier that combines handspun and commercial yarns and gets you started and thoroughly hooked on the brioche stitch.
My Knittyspin column in this issue is all about the differences of three very available sheep breeds in spinning and knitting. I hope it will enable you to shop better at fiber festivals!
What are your plans this summer to spin and knit?
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Knittyspin write me.
Knittyspin submission guidelines
are here.
If you have fiber,
spindles, books, or other spinny
products or tools that you'd like
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I love to talk about it all.
