My Favourite Online Knitting Magazines (and the best giveaway yet!)

10JunApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The thing that I love about knitting, the thing that calls me back to the needles time and time again, is the way knitting grounds me. There is something about the warmth of the yarn, the feel of the needles, the gentle repetition of stitch upon stitch that makes the whole world slow down a little so that I can exist just in that moment. And that incredible sense of calm is the way it’s been making other knitters feel too — for generations and generations. Knitting is ancient, simple, essential.

So every now and again, when I stop and reflect on how the knitting world has changed in the last ten years, it blows my mind a little. I use my phone to keep track of the rows I knit, I can check Ravelry to see how my pattern worked out for hundreds of other knitters, and I tweet back and forth with my favourite designers. Knitting is still ancient, essential, and grounding …but now it’s also all about the techno. Yeah, sometimes that really blows my mind.

And one of the best things to come out of this techno-revolution is the rise of online knitting magazines. Fresh, individual, quirky, and oh-so-vibrant — opening an online knitting magazine gives an instant virtual fiber rush. It makes you want to cast on something gorgeous. It makes you want cast on now.

Here my three hands-down favourites:

Did Knitty start the online knitting magazine craze? Even if it didn’t, it did for me. Knitty is the brainchild of Amy Singer, who launched her online magazine alllll the way back in 2002, and quickly became the starting point for thousands of new knitters and the launching pad for hundreds of new designers.

Filled with informative features that help new knitters find their feet and advanced knitters move on to higher planes, and offering instant access to a library of entirely free patterns, Knitty has revolutionised the concept of accessibility for a whole generation of knitters.

Twist Collective

The Twist Collective began with a mission: to treat designers and writers honourably by giving them a place to display their talents and get paid fairly for their work, while still having the option to use and build on their work after publication.

But beyond even those loftly ideals, what the Twist Collective ultimately achieves — through luscious photography and beautiful designs — is downright seductive.

KnitCircus

Starting out as a print publication, KnitCircus transitioned to an online format in 2010, and I’m so glad it did! Another magazine with an emphasis on treating designers fairly, KnitCircus is also committed to supporting indie fiber businesses, which gives readers the wonderful opportunity to discover new dyers and fiber artists that they might not otherwise find.

I find KnitCircus an absolute pleasure to read, partly for the totally trivial reason that the pages flip by delightfully (just like a real magazine! go try it!) and mostly because the articles are absorbing, the photography is sharp and fresh, and the patterns are utterly lovely.

Enter to Win the Entire KnitCircus Summer 2011 Pattern Collection

And here’s the bit that’s got me crazy-excited: KnitCircus‘s editor, Jaala Spiro, has generously offered me three copies of the KnitCircus Summer 2011 Pattern Collection to give away!

Wait, what’s that? Did I just hear you go squeeeee?!? Oh yeah, I know you did!

Ok, here’s what you have to do to enter:

Click on the links the three magazines above and choose your favourite pattern or article out of all of them (just one favourite, not three).
Then, come back here and leave a comment below telling me what your favourite is (and feel free to tell me why — I’d love to know!).

Now, because this is such a fabulous prize, I’m going to give you a way to get two bonus entries. To enter up to twice more, all you have to do is:

Retweet this tweet on Twitter, and/or
Mention this contest in a post on Ravelry (anywhere except the SpaceCadet group board and the InterStellar Yarn Alliance board)
Then, make sure you leave a comment here to let me know you’ve done it (include your Twitter and Rav names).

And there you go — you’re in with three chances to win one of three copies of the Summer 2011 KnitCircus Pattern Collection. And you can’t beat that with a ~~stick~~ stack of magazines!

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Rock the details: Sweepstakes opens when this blog post is published and closes on Mon June 20 2011 at 11.59pm EDT and all entries must be made before the close. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry (that is, mentioning in a comment on this blog post a favourite pattern/article from one of the three knitting magazines) before completing the ‘extra’ entries (retweeting the specified tweet and/or mentioning this sweepstakes in a post on Ravelry). Please take note: completion of all entries must be mentioned in a comment on this blog post to qualify, and comments must include the commenter’s Ravelry or Twitter name (as applicable). Invalid entries will be disqualified. Winner will be announced on this blog after sweepstakes close and must respond within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner. No purchase necessary. Only one entry per person. SpaceCadet Creations reserves the right to substitute prizes. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash. No geographical or age restrictions apply because knitting knows no barriers.

Pattern Roll Call: Win Two Gorgeous Shawl Patterns!

31MayApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

The weather has changed and, while the days are quickly becoming unbearably hot, the evenings are suddenly sublime — soft and warm and silken. And of course, it is the perfect time to knit.

And I know that last bit won’t make sense to the rest of the world, but you and I both know that summer just begs for luscious yarns, delicate lace, and lovely light shawls that wrap gently around bare shoulders. Oh yes, summer is perfect for knitting.

But I know lacework is not for everyone. So check out the Make It Work! shawl by Leslie Thompson (you know her, she’s one of the KnitGirllls from the Knit Girllls podcast!). What caught my eye first was the beautiful edge shaping — I think looks just like waves washing onto the shore — and then I spotted that it’s got enough short-row shaping and simple lacework to keep you interested without becoming too intimidating. I love this shawl!

knitting pattern, shawl, knitting, yarn — Images © Leslie Thompson, used with permission

The pattern comes with instructions knitting it in fingering, sport, and worsted weight yarns, and even includes a video to explain the process of short-row shaping and how to pick up wraps invisibly. With its lovely stockinette crescent, I think it would look amazing in yarn with a bit of sheen to pick up the summer sun, such as SpaceCadet Fingering Yarn in Bamboo, Superwash Merino, and Nylon, in Pink Sun (below left) or SpaceCadet Fingering Yarn in Superwash BFL and Silk, in Plumberry (below right).

But if lace is your thing, prepare to fall in love… This is Adoro, a gorgeous all-over lace shawl from Ruth Garcia-Alcantud. I love the delicate edging and the beading detail is just beautiful. This shawl just oozes starlit nights and warm breezes…

lace, knitting, pattern, yarn, shawl — Images © Ruth Garcia-Alcantud, used with permission

The pattern comes with instructions for both laceweight and fingering yarn. And even though it is simply amazing in that stunning deep red, I’d love to see how delicate it would look in an ethereal colourway such as SpaceCadet’s Luna LaceWeight Yarn in Silk and Merino, in Covetous (below left) or in Translucence (below right).

Hey Cool! Win Both Patterns!

And here’s the best bit… Leslie and Ruth have very generously offered to give a copy of Make It Work! and Adoro to one lucky winner! To enter all you have to do is retweet this tweet:

“GIVEAWAY! I’ve just entered to win two shawl patterns from @rockandpurl @theknitgirllls and @spacecadetcreat http://wp.me/pKX4B-EU #RPKGllls”

And then just leave a comment here telling me you’ve done it.

I’ll draw a random winner from all the commenters next Monday or Tuesday, and then let you all know who’s won here on the blog. So come on in — the summer is warm and the knitting is gorgeous!

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The details (they’re eeeeeasy!): Sweepstakes opens when this blog post is published and closes on Sun June 5 2011 at 11.59pm EDT and all entries must be made before the close. All entrants will be verified and must retweet the tweet specified in the above blog post and then leave a comment to that effect on this blog post to qualify, and comments must include the commenter’s Twitter name. Invalid entries will be disqualified. Winner will be announced on this blog within 72 hours of sweepstakes close and must respond within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner. No purchase necessary. Only one entry per person. SpaceCadet Creations reserves the right to substitute prizes. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash. See, that wasn’t too bad, was it?

Pattern Roll-Call: Something Gorgeous Around Your Shoulders

26AugApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Y’know, even though it’s still August and that usually means high temperatures and hot days, the weather has taken on a slightly cooler tinge this week, and that’s got me thinking about autumn. I’ve been day-dreaming about turning leaves, that crisp smell in the air, and lovely lovely autumn knitting. Is there anything better? And the first thing you need as the weather starts to change is something gorgeous to drape around you to keep that chill at bay.

Abby by Amy Singer

I’m crazy about cowls. They’re so easy — there’s no tying, no arranging, no fussing or adjusting… they just pop over your head and perfectly fill up the space around the top of a jacket to keep you toasty warm. Abby by Amy Singer has a beautifully simple stitch pattern that will work perfectly with any yarn from a Semi-Solid to a Wildly Varigated. I think it would look amazing knitted up in the gentle blues and purples of Mountain Mist.

Mirth by Stefanie Japel

The lace pattern on Mirth is gorgeous, just gorgeous — what could look more elegant draped around your shoulders on a cool autumn day? But the real beauty of Stefanie Japel‘s pattern is that it’s written in both text and charts, and the size of the shawl can customised by completing as many chart repeats as the knitter likes. The allover lace pattern will really shine in a Gently Varigated yarn such as Pink Autumn or Desert Wine.

Eventide by Laura Nelkin

Now here is a pattern that makes you want to grab that crazy-gorgeous yarn that’s been calling your name and just cast on. The long criss-cross floats of Laura Nelkin‘s Eventide really showcase the colours a variegated yarn such as the cool blue/green/purples of Midnight Swim or the gentle pinks and olive-greens of Bramble Rose. And the beautiful openwork creates a pattern that is perfect for those not-too-warm, not-too-cool days that autumn brings.

So, yeah, I know… it’s still August. And the sun in still high in the sky and we’re all still wearing our summer clothes. But one of these days, the weather is going to change suddenly and summer will be gone… And now is the perfect time to cast on so that, when that happens, you’ll have something gorgeous to see in the autumn.

Choosing the Right Knitting Pattern for Hand-dyed Yarns

26JulApril 14, 2015 By Stephanie

Note from the SpaceCadet: My friend Abigail of TAAT Designs is a wonderful knitter and real connoisseur of hand-dyed yarns. And I am delighted that she agreed to share how she chooses the right pattern for each unique yarn…

By Abigail

In a recent post on my blog, I was reflecting on my relationship with yarn and I realized that it’s not just about the yarn, but also about the potential contained within it. When I see a skein of yarn, I see more than just the yarn itself. I see the twist of the yarn, the way the colors blend together and how the fiber appears. From here, however, it’s not always straightforward to picture what the yarn will look like when it is knit up, which makes it hard to choose a pattern. Especially with handpainted yarns, there’s always a bit of uncertainty. How long is each bit of color? Do the colors repeat in a systematic manner, or are they completely random? With experience, it becomes easier to predict these things without knitting a swatch, but even a prediction is still no guarantee of what the finished product will look like.

Most handpainted yarns do have a predictable repeat. This means that they will tend toward pooling or striping, depending on the length of each stretch of color. The best way I have found to determine this is to unwind a length of the yarn – two yards is usually enough. If the entire length is all one color, then the yarn will stripe in many usages (socks, children’s sweaters, hats, mittens – anything that is less than about 2 feet in circumference or width). If the length is multiple colors, then you can try to predict whether it will stripe or not by estimating how many stitches you can get out of each color section (a good rule of thumb is that it takes 3x as much yarn as the length of fabric you are knitting across).

Once you know roughly whether the yarn will stripe or not, it becomes easier to choose a pattern. My preference is for yarns that do not stripe, or have minimal striping – I like a new color in every row of my knitting. I’m also a big fan of knitting socks with handpainted yarns, so that’s usually where my mind first goes.

When I received my skein of SpaceCadet Creations’ Cold Waters earlier this year, I wasn’t sure at first what it wanted to be. The colors were so subtle and yet striking all at once, and I wanted to choose a pattern that would really show off the colors. From looking at the yarn, I was able to predict that it would stripe slightly, but not be too overpowering. There was also not much chance of pooling (which I do my best to avoid). This told me that I didn’t need to choose a pattern that would actively reduce pooling, but I didn’t want to choose a pattern that was too busy, either, so that I didn’t overpower the yarn. Because Cold Waters uses tonal shading rather than lots of different colors, however, I knew the pattern could have a little something going on.

The stockinette portion of the sock clearly shows the beautiful, subtle, not-quite-single-row striping of Cold Waters.

Around the time I received my Cold Waters, I also received a gorgeous pattern from Yarnissima (through a monthly sock yarn club I belong to), The Portland Gussets. I had been looking for the perfect yarn for this pattern, and Cold Waters seemed like it would fit. It had everything I was looking for: medium-length color repeats (too short, and the pattern would be lost in the yarn), not too much color variation (any more, and the yarn would obscure the pattern), but enough visual interest (not enough, and the pattern would be boring).

I quickly cast on, and the socks just flew off my needles. The pattern and yarn were a great fit!

When you’re knitting hand-dyed yarns, each skein is a unique adventure. With a little practice, it becomes easy to match a yarn to pattern. If you take the time to examine the yarn and read its color repeat, the yarn will help you decide which pattern to choose for it.

TAAT Designs is a newly formed design group created by four friends — Trisha, Allison, Abigail and Tesia — to combine their love of knitting with their desire to create unique and fun patterns for knitted objects of all types. Read more about their adventures on the TAAT Designs blog.