The scoop from the editors

Being elsewhere

How much can things change in just 3 months?

Last issue, which went live at the beginning of December, I was looking forward to a move to a new city and a new home. A few weeks later, my beloved Tully came down with pneumonia and I lost him 3 days before the moving trucks arrived. He wasn't even 3 years old yet.

I don't remember much of January.

But things are better now. I live with my sweet partner, Mark, and his two ridiculous cats, Brody (the snooty Himalayan) and Tasha (a love suck who also loves sucking on plastic). We live in a home that is just right for us, and we love Hamilton. It's very neighborhoody, more laid back. Less self important, easier to drive around, friendlier strangers.

There are still unpacked IKEA bags everywhere, and the moving in is taking much longer than anticipated. But we'll get it all sorted eventually. The kitchen got set up first and I've started baking bread a few times a week. I make nice bread! Who knew?

One thing did sort itself. This house was meant to have a bunny in it. Meet Rabbi Schmooley ben Timothy. He's been with us just over a week, and he's an adorable, sweet, soft, playful Harlequin rescue rabbit who we found at the Alliston Humane Society. He's just over 7 months old, and he's testing every one of my bunnyproofing skills. The cats have no idea what to make of him.

 

Life goes on.

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We have lots of warmer-weather delights for you this issue...especially in the form of my personal favorite: the summer-weight tee-shirt sweater! Lots of variations, from lacy to ribbed, openwork to striped stockinette. Which one is your favorite?

We also have some sweet socks, and a variety of shawls. Lots to keep you knitting as the weather finally (we hope!) warms up. Man, this has been a crazy winter, eh? Reminds me of my childhood, when the snow in London, Ontario, regularly reached the top of the front door.

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Keep in touch with us!

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Amy Singer
[editor, Knitty]

Craving lightness

My favorite type of spring feels like taking off a big heavy coat, literally and in my spinning. When spring hits, the skills I learned or practiced over the winter seem easier and lighter; concepts that I struggled with click into place. Things look new to me, and there are days I can see new applications for things I learned when I first started spinning.

Spring, rather than January, is a better time for me to set a new path or to follow a new curiosity. In spring, I want to learn a new skill, tweak something that has never felt right, start a new spinning group, find new dyers to spin. For me, all of that extra light and the promise of warmer days encourages me to new things. January is so dark and cold, I just want to make soup and read. Plus everyone talking about New Year’s resolutions makes me just want to stick my tongue out at them.

This Spring+Summer issue of Knitty has two handspun shawls. You can spin through the spring and knit lazily through the summer. Lotta Groeger designed Ambition and Cunning, a Slytherian inspired lace shawl, and Go with the Phloem is a classic Pi shawl designed on the structure of water transport systems in plant stems.

My KnittySpin column is about blending color with combs. It talks about how the way I load my combs affects my color blend and yarn.

I hope you find a little curiosity to chase this spring and summer, and you find lots of time to spin!

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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.

Happy Spinning!

Jillian Moreno
[editor, Knittyspin]