Letter From The Editor
The scoop from the Editor
photo: AmyExperienced knitter = no mistakes.
Are you laughing with me, because that sentence above is ridiculous. If you're new or newish to knitting, then you might think it's true. One day you'll get to the point where you just won't make mistakes any more, and won't that be a glorious day?
It won't come. And that's perfectly okay. What experienced knitters know is that we make mistakes, and huge ones, because of so many things. Sometimes it's hubris. We're sure we know how to do a thing, sure we counted correctly, sure we didn't miss a key instruction somewhere in the pattern.
Sometimes it's laziness. Come on, experienced knitters, you know it's true. Sometimes we just don't want to look up the thing we're sure we know how to do and we just do it. We do it wrong. Oops.
And sometimes, it's because our brains work differently than the majority of brains and something that should be simple, like remembering what stitch we've just completed when going to the next stitch.
I've been knitting since I was 6. Actively knitting since my teen years and obsessively knitting since this century began. I've made all three of those categories of mistakes over and over and over again.
When I'm knitting a hat, I don't care, because my first 5 rows are my gauge swatch and I'm happy to rip back and start again, especially since I get an actual full-sized swatch to try on my own head.
See, I'm a late-diagnosed neurodivergent (verging on neurospicy), and though I'm medicated, my brain is never going to work the way neurotypical brains work.
Case in point: brioche. I hadn't tried it until this past week. Really. Because I heard it was hard. And then I decided it couldn't be that hard, because so many do it successfully. I printed out a pattern for a hat in "English Rib" (aka Brioche) and cast on. Over and over again, I would forget which part of the two-stitch rhythm I had just completed. I gave it at least 10 tries, ripping and restarting, and finally realized maybe the instructions could be worded better for me. Found Ysolda's tutorial, and yup, it's clearer. Yup, I still can't keep track of the two-stitch rhythm. I can SEE the anatomy of the stitches, which is how I have survived as a knitter all these years. Seeing anatomy frees me from following written instructions as long as I understand the construction of a stitch pattern. But still, no glory.
I will conquer this one way or other. Why am I telling you this? First, so if you feel dumb, you realize you're not dumb. Every brain processes information differently, and over time you'll realize what you need to be able to follow a new set of instructions, even if that is simply more practise.
Second, to let you know that, as the Editor of Knitty, I'm very aware there are so many different kinds of brains reading and following our patterns. Our wonderful team of Tech Editors (check out the masthead box above) makes sure that the patterns work and are as clear as they can be. As I format every pattern, I'm mentally trying to follow it in my head. If I get stuck, and if it's not me misunderstanding the instructions, then we can add something in there to clarify it for everyone.
For crochet patterns, which we're starting to include more and more, I have found following the traditional instructions very, very hard for me, because the written text becomes unparsable. I get lost two words in. Discussing this with our Patrons and our new Crochet Editor (!), who I will properly introduce in our Spring+Summer '25 issue, we came to the consensus that vertical space between each line of instruction would help. And you'll see that in the crocheted cardigan we have in this issue, Cozy Quills. We hope it's helpful, cause it's a super cute sweater.
The original headline, then, should read: experienced knitters take all knitting as a learning experience, especially the fails.
This issue's theme is Self Care. It's all about what makes you feel most cozy, safe, and comforted, thanks to the work of your hands. We have a few sweet sweaters (one easy with interesting knit-in design, one crocheted that you can nestle into, and one that's a simpler knit with a beautiful-but-simple embellishment) and lots of smaller projects that you can create more quickly. You'll find them here. We've also got some beauties coming in our Winter Surprise due out in January.
Wait, what's this Surprise? It's a set of new patterns released between this launch and the next issue. Want to know when? Just sign up for our little Newsletter and we'll write when it's out, so you don't miss a thing.
Wanna see the new stuff? Off you go, then.
And by the way, the Twitter/Threads/Bluesky debate has settled enough and we're staying on Bluesky to chat with readers, announce the latest Knitty news, and the usual stuff we used to do on that other place. So if you feel like interacting with me or other knitters and super cool people, come find us!
As 2024 comes to an end, I want to take a moment to thank our Knitty Patrons and Members. These folk, exactly 2917 people as of this moment, support Knitty in whatever amount they are able to, once per issue. The money comes in a month after a new issue goes live, and it goes to cover our operating costs like our server and all the other online services that make Knitty run, our payroll (all the folk listed on the masthead above), and my salary. Every issue, some Patrons need to end their support, and without new Patrons, that would be the end of Knitty. So we always need new Patrons.
Without our Patrons and Members, Knitty would have to close. It's as simple as that.
Knitty Patrons get rewards for their support, like early access to every new issue, and at the Tangy+ level and up, they can use our super-cool new feature, knitty+! It lets them customize Knitty patterns showing only the size they're going to knit, so the pattern text is leaner and easier to follow! There are other benefits to knitty+, and other benefits to being a Knitty Patron, too. Check it out here, and see if you'd like to join us! Patrons come and go all the time, and we need a constant level of support to be able to continue to publish.
We also get some revenue from our Advertisers! We've held advertising rates steady for as long as I can remember, and we actually slashed our rates back in 2017 because we were able to, thanks to our Patron revenue. Our mission includes supporting small fiber businesses, and so when we could give them a financial break, we did!
Finally, we get a tiny bit of revenue from Bookshop.org and Amazon links on our Cool Stuff page, and a little bit from the ads that display on all the back issues. It all helps.
How can you help Knitty stay strong and stick around? Here are some suggestions:
- tell your knitting and crochet friends about us!
- Tag them on our Instagram or Facebook posts
- Tell your fiber group, guild or meetup about Knitty or a Knitty pattern that you're working on
- Share your Knitty pattern WIPs and FOs on social media and let people know where to find the pattern
- follow us on social media! Facebook | Instagram
- if you are able to support us financially at any amount, check out knitty.me, which lays out all the ways you can do that (including joining our Patreon)
Thank you for being a Knitty reader! More people don't know about Knitty than those that do, so when you share us with your fiber friends, you're doing a great thing!
Here's how you can keep in touch with us:
Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky (come chat with me!)| Patreon
Amy Sadler
[editor, Knitty]