General

How to get over the AAAGH MASTODON OVERLOAD hump and join a saner online community

I've moved my daily content to Mastodon. It's an independent place that's a federation of independent servers located all over the world. You can find me on Mastodon here: https://artisan.chat/@knittymag It's also got a bit of a learning curve, but I've been helping people find their way a little easier. If you'd like to try it out, here's how to get over the AAGH MASTODON OVERWHELM hump:

I’m back.

Amy wearing a mask that looks like a snowman's face
Hi, all. It’s Amy. Way back when, I started Knitty as a blogger. Here’s the oldest post I can find. It was just me talking to you. Over the years, I’ve had the most wonderful people helping with/taking over (bless them! I needed a break from the whole thing!) the blog. Massive shoutout to Jillian Moreno and Kate Atherley for their brilliance, humour and charm for many years. They published on a regular schedule and created such great content! It was a lot of work for them, maintaining this place. So we decided it was time to shut’er down. With the world shut down as it has been over the last ...

Changes @ The KnittyBlog

Hello, y’all! We have some exciting news for you… a little change to how we do things at Knitty. Jillian, Penny and Kate have been keeping the KnittyBlog updated and current for years. Years and years! This Blog has been home of Jillian’s brilliant spinning posts, Penny’s (and formerly Kate’s) WWW updates every Wednesday about fiber news on the web, and occasional posts about whatever I’m currently obsessed with (not always fiber related). We also used to run contests for all readers here. Well, starting this month (how the HECK did it become September already?), the KnittyBlog is ...

WWW: per filo e per segno; usable scraps; crafting a spark or blown away

scraps of tom bihn materials
Per filo e per segno (“By thread and by sign”) is a project to mark the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the first Italian UNESCO site, Valle Camonica, and aims to promote the tradition of knitting and crochet. Please note the webpages are in Italian. Hate waste? Love using scrap materials for your projects? Our friends at Tom Bihn have created a product page that lists currently available materials. Make your requests! Are you Blown Away by the first season of a reality competition for glass blowing artists on Netflix? Or do you prefer other formats to learn about artists such as Spark or Craft in ...

Spinning at TNNA

Amy, Kate and I attended The National Needlework Association convention in Cleveland, Ohio a few weeks ago. This is the wholesale show where knitting shops go to buy for the fall season. I’m always on the lookout for spinning things. This year there seemed to be a little less spinning than in the past, but the show was smaller overall.       Of course, Schacht was there in full force, celebrating their 50th anniversary. I need to buy the 50th anniversary shuttle before they are all sold out! Ashford was there too. I saw lots of demos of their newer e-spinner. I’ve tried it and it’s ...

WWW: bold lace; waste paper weaving; weaving exhibit

waste paper weaving
I love finding combinations of techniques and materials that aren’t traditional. Canadian sculptor, Cal Lane‘s welding turns the ordinary into extraordinary lace. (via #womensart). This initiative by weaver Neerja Palisetty in Jaipur, India is a positive spin on a large pollutant, paper. Not only does it help reduce waste, it provides income opportunity. IIt was a surprise to open my local business journal to an article about an upcoming weaving exhibit at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. During the exhibit, “Helena Hernmarck: Weaving In Progress”, the gallery space will also function as a ...

Tips for Teaching Spinning

There is something about the summer, maybe it’s because I spin out of my house more, or because of the abundance of fiber shows, but I get more brand new people asking me to teach them to spin in the summer than any other time. I bet it happens to you too. Here are some of my tips for teaching a newbie.   Give them the ability to start and stop easily. Use the park and draft method on a spindle, and if you use a wheel make sure it’s one that is very responsive to stopping and going with just the treadles, and will spin smoothly with the drive wheel going slowly. New spinners should feel comfortable ...

This Spinner Talks Knitting on Mason-Dixon Knitting

    I have a new post up at Mason-Dixon Knitting about  how ply in commercial yarn affects knitting. I’ve been having a great time over the past few posts talking to knitters about how yarns are constructed and what it means to our knitting. Everyone seems happy to learn new things and to find out that some knitting snafus are caused by yarn fiber, draft and ply, not by our ability to knit.   I demonstrated fun with ply in some great yarns :   Single-ply (singles): Mrs. Crosby, Satchel (100% Superwash Merino), Color: Spun Gold. 2-ply: Sincere Sheep, Cormo Fingering (100% Cormo), Color: Vit ...

Obsession Thursday: Pawley Studios’ yummy MUGS

I am a fan of handmade things. That should not be a surprise, considering. You know? I love glass. And I love pottery. I’ve seen Pawley Studios’ mugs around at shows, and I wanted some for Knitty. And now we have them. To celebrate our 15th anniversary, Amanda Pawley has created this gorgeousness for us: So who is this Amanda Pawley person? In her own words: “I’ve been making pots for 14 years.  I took my first class in 2003, and I’ve been working in clay ever since.  After college I worked with another full time potter in Florida for two years, which is where I learned more of the ...
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