In-Depth Review of Knitting Yarn

Knitter's Review
June 6, 2016

Blogs and digital photography have made writers and photographers of us all, and the humble PDF (and Ravelry) given each of us the potential to document our knitting ideas and share them with the world.

Knitwear design was once the domain of a lucky few. Today, it's a veritable Wild West of creativity. As of this morning, Ravelry had 251,082 patterns available as downloads.

But anyone who's tried to knit more than a handful of patterns will tell you not all patterns are alike. The finished garments may be beautiful, but the instructions that get you there? Not always good, and certainly not standardized. Their language and style, charts and schematics can be all over the place.

Kate Atherley knows this. As the longtime technical editor of Knitty.com, she's seen it all. And in her new book, The Beginner's Guide to Writing Knitting Patterns, she tames our Wild West once and for all. Even if you aren't a capital-d designer, you'll want to get your hands on this book.

NOW HEAR THIS
Charge your batteries and clear space on your devices! I'm excited to announce that the audiobook versions of Knitlandia and The Yarn Whisperer are being released tomorrow, June 7th. I loved being able to read these stories exactly as they sounded in my head when I was writing them. You can listen to excerpts of Knitlandia and The Yarn Whisperer, and any preorders will be automatically delivered to your device tomorrow.

COMING UP
Industry folk are headed to Washington, DC, for this year's summer TNNA show—myself included. It comes on the heels of changes in TNNA leadership and Westminster Fibers' announcement that it is exiting the yarn market. I promise a full report from the show. In the meantime, plenty of other events are taking place around the world. Maybe near you?

On June 9-12, the 26th-annual Estes Park Wool Market will take place in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado. That same weekend, Misty Isle Farms hosts the Vashon Sheepdog Classic on Vashon Island, Washington; while the 12th-annual Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival happens in Colfax, Iowa; and the 6th-annual Central New York Fiber Festival in Bouckville, NY. On June 11th, Indie Burgh Yarn Crawl will lead knitters on a fibery treasure hunt through Edinburgh.

More than ever, our calendar is overflowing with knitting-related retreats, conferences, and getaways. Find them all here.

UNRAVELING
As knitters, we all know what a powerful life force yarn is. But it isn't every day that the non-knitting world acknowledges it too. This heartbreakingly beautiful short music video has been making the rounds. It's for the song Moving On by James, and you'd better keep some tissues handy.

As always, I thank you for your readership and your support. Take care, and I'll write again soon!

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