The scoop from the editors

Knitty is moving.

Is it relevant when an online magazine packs up its stuff and moves to a whole new city? Really, it's me who is moving, and as Knitty has always been produced in my 2nd bedroom, when I move, it moves with me.

This time, though, the second bedroom is located in a whole new city: Hamilton, Ontario. Hamilton is a town built on steel that, thanks to the changing times, is trying to find its new identity. In Toronto, you hear Hamilton celebrated for its vibrant artistic community, which is true. You also hear it celebrated for the main reason we're moving there: real estate prices half (or less) than those in Toronto. That's hard to pass up. We've chosen a sweet little place on Hamilton Mountain (aka the Niagara Escarpment) on a quiet street with a Tully-sized backyard.

It turns out, though, that my new home town has more than just affordable mortgages. It has beautiful architecture (they've shot a lot of The Handmaid's Tale there). It has funky districts like Ottawa Street and James St North, and it has a great selection of most excellent coffee. Gage Park looks like it belongs in the middle of London (the England one). There's a tiny Jewish district. There's access to Lake Ontario. And there's also the most horrific industrial blight on some of that waterfront I've ever seen anywhere (except maybe Waukegan, IL). It's a mixed bag, Hamilton, and it is a place I'm going to look forward to getting to know. Because most of it is pretty awesome.

Yes, I've already scoped out the yarn shops, and you will absolutely find me at either Handknit or the legendary Needle Emporium from time to time. But I'm still just an hour away from Toronto, and so the good bagels are not lost to me forever. For that, I am truly grateful.

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So this time, you're gonna see a lot of colorwork in the issue. Our designers got all excited about working with more than one yarn in a project, and we love the results! We also have some sweet sweaters, including a sweater where we noticed an interesting-but-coincidental resemblance to one worn by Kiernan Shipka in the new Sabrina series (of course, we had to name it after her as a result).

This time, in her video column, Kate Atherley takes on the bedrock of knitting techniques: the long-tail cast on. Think you know everything about it? Think again.

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We want to send a special thank you to our Patrons who continue to support us and keep us alive and thriving! We absolutely would not be here without their support. Every dollar they contribute helps, and we'd love you to join them. We offer really neat rewards, too, starting at the $5/issue level!

We are also grateful for the Advertisers who choose to place their messages on our pages. If you can, please support them when you need to make a purchase. We all take care of each other, right? A reminder: ads now start as low as $60 per issue! To learn more about advertising with Knitty, pop over to our Rate Card.

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Keep in touch with us!

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Amy Singer
[editor, Knitty]

Keeping Winter fresh

This winter I’m setting aside time to be creative. I want to try new things.

And not just spinning, knitting and weaving, I want to play in other sandboxes, to draw, paint, sew, color.  I know that each thing that I try outside of fiber will make my spinning and weaving better.

I’m also devoting this winter to being really excited about what other people are doing creatively. I want to watch classes, read blogs, just soak in all of the making, looking, thinking and doing that I can.

Felicia Lo at the School of Sweet Georgia and Liz Gipson at the Yarnworker School of Weaving are doing great things in their online spaces and I want spend time there learning. I’ve had a membership to Creativebug for months and haven’t opened it once. Then there are the many, many you tube videos and video podcasts I’ve saved, plus the online classes I’ve bought.

I’m ready to get my hands and brain to move a little differently, down unfamiliar paths, then loop around and spin with a new twist.

In this issue of Knittyspin Rebecca Marsh’s Spinal Twist cowl spun and knit from locally sourced fiber and solar dyed is double layered, textured and chunky and will keep you warm on the chilliest of days,  Benjamin Krudwig’s Tufts is a thrummed headband, with a quick way of making thrummed yarn. In my Knittyspin column I talk about using tiny bits of dyed braids to make skeins of unique yarn.

Have a wonderful and creative wintertime!

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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]