Winter 2009-2010 E-Book

Since we received such great input from our readers, we've decided to continue our e-book publishing. We published 2 e-books last year [fall and winter] and we were really happy with how they turned out.

But we also learned that trying to write enough patterns to fill 2 books is hard. So, we are going to make the e-book an annual event, once each winter, with 6-8 patterns in .pdf format. We'll keep you posted on the progress. We're shooting for publication around New Year's, but if we're really productive, we might have it out sooner.

A Request for Public Input

It probably seems like Jordynn and I haven't been knitting much lately, but that isn't true at all. We have all /kinds/ of new designs that are finished and even in wardrobe circulation. We just can't decide whether to submit the patterns to magazines (online or print, we don't care) or publish them ourselves on this blog. We've proven we are capable of publishing in magazines [here and here] but to be honest, it's nice to have some control over the pattern, to be able to make revisions as knitters give us feedback, or add modifications if we feel like it (see Dalloway for an example of what I mean). Plus, self-publishing means the pattern is available right away--most magazines have a pretty serious lag-time, sometimes more than a year.

So, what do our dear readers think? Publish our own .pdfs or send patterns off to magazines? Do you think designers need the legitimacy that magazines can give? Is it worth the lag time? Help us decide!

Chair Cozies

I flipping love this. Plastic chair cozies.

If I wasn't overwhelmed by the potential yarn cost I'd be on this right now.

[link to article in NYT]

Knitting With Dog Hair… the book

 

We’ve already reported  on the use of dog hair for knitting, aka “chiengora.”

It has come to my attention that there’s a book that tells you all about it:

Knitting With Dog Hair: Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep You'll Never Meet

by Kendall Crolius

The comments on Amazon.com are awesome:

• “My only complaint is the cover is misleading, there is a picture of a basset hound on the cover but you can't spin basset fur. I own a basset and bought the book because of the cover.”
• “I felt bad at first shaving my dog completely bald, but after I got the sweater made using this book, he now looks stylish in his own fur!”
• “In these times of impending environmental catastrophe, it behoves all of us to recycle to reduce our carbon footprint. Happily, this onerous task has just been made easier by this publication.
  With Kendall Crolius as my guide, I was able to produce a handsome pair of lederhosen and a saucy g-string from the excess hair produced by my pooch. I now intend to press on to the advanced section where there are designs for a fireman's uniform and a peek-a-boo bra.”
• “I must say that I was initially excited about this book. Knitting with dog hair seems like one of those ideas that every pet-owning, recycling, energy-conscious responsible human being should subscribe to. However, one little thing you should be aware of before you get this book. You have to REMOVE the hair from the dog BEFORE you knit. I really wish I had been told this before I started. Sure Scout makes a great hat, but it's really embarrassing if you are walking down the street, wearing your admittedly very stylish chapeau, and the hat pees down the back of your neck.”

Surprisingly, there are no projects posted on Ravelry from this book. Sad.

Fall Sweater Forecast

It strikes me that designers have gotten a little wacky with their sweaters this year. Or wackier than normal. These garments might not be too practical for non-model types, but they might give us knitters some ideas. The natural colors and interesting textures of the first group of knits might be inspiring. And the colorful stripes from the 3’s company type designs could be cute and quirky.

First, there are the sweaters not only knit from animal fibers, but inspired by animals, such as…

Yaks

prd_id=845524446228475&FOLDERfolder_id=282574492043419&ASSORTMENTast_id=1408474395222441&bmUID=1251160136956&ev19=2:73">Missoni (It’s even better from the back—check it out)

Sheep

prd_id=845524446228166&FOLDERfolder_id=282574490619215&ASSORTMENTast_id=1408474395222441&bmUID=1251160136928&ev19=2:53">Marc by Marc Jacobs

See also this and this.

Poodle:

Stella McCartney

On the other hand, there’s definitely a 70s theme going on. These remind me of something from Three’s Company, for some reason:

For Janet:

prd_id=845524446228153&FOLDERfolder_id=282574492710571&ASSORTMENTast_id=1408474395222441&bmUID=1251160865313&ev19=1:7">Marc by Marc Jacobs, again

Okay, it looks cuter prd_id=845524446228153&FOLDERfolder_id=282574492710571&ASSORTMENTast_id=1408474395222441&bmUID=1251160925727&ev19=1:7">layered. 

For Mrs. Roper:

St. John Weekend

Children Knitting

These photos are from the Billy Barnes Collection at the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina.

Children knitting circa 1966.

It doesn’t say who this lady was, or why she was teaching kids to knit (on super long needles), but it was apparently part of the WAMY Community Action project to address poverty in Western North Carolina.

I liked that the photos had the following tags in the catalog:

Children
Knitting
Aged persons

Update: And here’s a modern-day parallel!

Random Coolness: Marcy Smith

Marcy Smith is the new editor of Interweave Crochet, according to this.

She used to be the literary editor at the Raleigh News and Observer. I worked with her a couple of years ago when she published a short story of mine.

I love neat coincidences like this.