The scoop from the editors

Look for the light

Yeah, I've been watching The Last Of Us. But it's also a great thought at this time of year. It was dark and now it's getting lighter outside, and inside too. No wonder we feel the urge to purge and clean our dwellings. The light comes back and shows us the dust in the corners and on the tops of picture frames and we want to make it feel fresh again.

Or something profound like that. You get where I'm going.

I've cast on a new sweater - Dathan by the brilliant Kate Davies, to make use of the 2022 Advent set of Adirondack Trail cotton/nylon sock yarn I bought from Trailhead Yarns last year. Based on the image of what I think was an Amanita mushroom in the wild, the skeins go from muted straw and moss through greyed greens and finally into peachy pinks at different saturation levels. The accent full-size skein is a deep greyed purple. I was nervous about having enough yarn, so I supplemented with some more of the same yarn in the peachy pink tones (ballet light, medium, and super saturated) and perhaps I'll have enough. Yes, I swatched. Stop nagging.

Dathan calls for steeks for the sleeves, as it's knit in the round. You can do it flat, but then the stripes are a pain to match, and I really want to be brave here. After watching videos on the subject, I decided I'd try crocheted reinforcement, rather than machine. Remember, I'm knitting with cotton/nylon fingering-weight yarn. (I will also do a test steek on a swatch, and then wash/dry it to be safe.) I'm just at the chest area of the sweater, and we'll see how we go. Will my First Fall headshot show me wearing the thing? Mayhap.

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Every issue for our Anniversary year (this is issue 3 of that year, in case you're keeping track), we've asked an Indie Dyer and an Indie Designer to create something to help us celebrate the occasion. This issue, we're super excited about the collaboration between Trailhead Yarns (hey...I'm seeing a pattern here) and Knitty hero Rosemary (Romi) Hill. The result is Leptira, in the just-for-Knitty colorway "Knitty". Romi outdid herself and we love the airy and beautiful design, the delicious photos and the colorway, which is all about SPRING, full of glorious golden yellows with splashes of garden-inspired colors throughout. Click the ad atop Romi's pattern to get the matching yarn, or choose another colorway of the ultra-cool Tencel laceweight yarn, Cabot Trail, if yellow isn't your thing.

Lots more warm-weather options await you on our front page. We love the super-pretty crocheted bag that Olga Radchuk designed, and Kate Atherley shows you how to make some of the less-common crochet stitches in her column this issue.

Off you go, then.

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NEW CONTEST ALERT!

Our first contest collab since 2005 (which resulted in the creation of the legendary bag, the Swift), we're excited to partner with TOM BIHN once again to get your input on your dream fibercraft bag! Fill out the questionnaire and you could win one of the prizes they're offering! Good luck, y'all!

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We're off Twitter for good, and instead I'm posting on Mastodon, which is an open-source, independent group of servers located all over the world that you can view and use for free. No one person or company controls Mastodon, and most servers are moderated to prevent the spreading of hate speech and disinformation. Mastodon may seem foreign to many of us after the ease of using Twitter, but I have found an easy way to get in. I shared my easy how-to information on the knittyBlog. The conversation is lively and interesting, and topics well beyond knitting and crochet and other fibercraft can be found. I hope you'll come join me there!

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The only reason we're still here is our Patrons! That's how we're able to publish 4 times per year. Our Patrons fund 75% of our operating costs, and every single dollar each Patron contributes helps. We'd love you to join them! If you like rewards, you can get them starting at the $5 per issue level on Patreon! If you just want to support Knitty with no frills, this page lays out all the options.

We are also grateful for the Advertisers who choose to place their messages on our pages. They're small businesses just like Knitty is, and welcome you to visit their shops. If you can, please support them when you need to make a purchase.

To learn more about advertising with Knitty, pop over to our Rate Card.

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Here's how you can keep in touch with us:

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Amy Singer
[editor, Knitty]

Emerging from our cocoons

Spring is starting to happen in the northern hemisphere. I have friends gleefully sending me photos of their first snowdrops and other early sprouting flowers. Living in the north, I’m still checking for snow most days, but seeing their photos gives me hope.

Spring is the season we all emerge from our cocoons and head to spring fiber shows, and start knitting warm weather garments.

It’s a social shift too. I know I’m done with just hanging out in my house and visiting mostly over Zoom. I’m ready to teach in person, and hang out with all of the people. I want new things in the spring, different projects, fibers, and to explore new-to-me yarns.

I will admit that Fall is my favorite season, but one that sees me drawing in. Spring has me wanting to be social, gather my fiber friends and head out for adventures, even if they are just up the road.

In Substitution Solutions this issue, I’m exploring the balance between drape and weight in non-wool yarns, with more than a few words about elasticity. There are so many more yarns that are fantastic for warm weather now, and they have much better knitting manners that the old school cotton yarns that stretched out of shape and weighed many pounds.

I hope this spring brings you lots of fiber adventures, whether it’s a big trip, or a new to you yarn, fiber or designer.

Jillian Moreno
[editor, Knittyspin]