The scoop from the editors

A seasonless year

For the past 12 months, if not longer, the weather has sort of gone flat. I live in an area reputed to have distinct seasons, yet winter wasn't very snowy and certainly wasn't cold (for the second year in a row, and NO, I am not complaining about that. And then it sort of became spring, with the only noticeable change being so much rain that Toronto Island is at risk of becoming our own Atlantis. For us knitters, the common denominator has been the coolness, which I am grateful for. I do love me a nice cool day. Nothing makes me want to knit more than that.

This issue, what designers chose to send in were cowls and shawls. Since those are perpetually the most-knit projects on Ravelry, we were just fine with that! We also have some jim-dandy sweaters, including a mind-blowing Rhombus and a knitted tie that does not look hand knit. In the case of ties, looking handknit has never been a positive attribute. This one might make a convert of a handknit-averse tie wearer in your life. We're also thrilled to welcome back Martina Behm, designer of the viral hit pattern Hitchhiker, who we learn published her first pattern ever with us back in Winter 2011. You're gonna love what she did for us this issue.

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It's finally time to accept the truth: Mr Franklin Habit is not on hiatus. His column is retired. We feel lucky to have had his input as long as we did. The work he put into each column was off the charts, and our readers' appreciation for it was as well. It was a beautiful thing, and we're grateful for the Library where we can revisit his masterful re-creations of history any time we want to. Godspeed, Mr Habit. Someone knit a pineapple bag in his honor, would you?

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If you're not already a Patron, please consider joining us. We won't survive without ongoing support from our readers, and lots of little donations make such a huge difference in keeping us here! Life happens and Patrons come and go according to their own personal situations. So if you haven't joined us yet, we'd love to welcome you. This system only works if we can hold the number of Patrons steady.

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Amy Singer
[editor, Knitty]

Rabbits

Sometimes I just fall down the same rabbit hole more than once. This issue’s Knittyspin column about using an overplied 2-ply in place of a 3-ply had my brain whirling over something I thought I had figured out. There are reasons I use this overplied yarn rather than a 3-ply and you can read about in the article, but that’s not what had me grinning.

I’ve used this yarn and loved it for years. It’s my default yarn. I like how it looks. That’s what started me using it over and over, then I noticed how it kinda works like a 3-ply. But something I’ve never done, never looked at in all of the years of using it, is how it looks in comparison to 3-ply and a balanced 2-ply. I’ve never spun and knit those specific samples and looked at them side by side.

Wow! I was really surprised, and I fell down the rabbit hole of this yarn again. I wan to make more samples and just stare at them and squeeze them and kind of squee over them.

Keep sampling, my spinners. Even your default yarn has something to teach you!

Be sure to check out Bosco by Mari Chiba, a cardigan knit from Manos yarn, with the yoke knit from Manos fiber spun into a singles. It’s a pretty reminder that a sweater doesn’t have to be all handspun.

If you have an idea for a project or article for knittyspin write me. Knittyspin submission guidelines are here.

If you have fiber, spindles, books, or other spinny products or tools that you'd like us to review, you'll find information how how to get your products in to the hands of our reviewers here. I love to talk about it all.

Jillian Moreno
[editor, Knittyspin]