Knitting

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Knitty Needs Our Support

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knitty patreon campaignI have been a longtime fan of the online knitting magazine Knitty. Maybe not from the very beginning in 2002, but probably pretty soon thereafter. I was just getting back into knitting after a hiatus in college, and I loved that there was a place to find inspiring, cool designs without having to go buy a book that might have one pattern you wanted to knit in it.

Amy Singer, editor and founder of Knitty, says that when Knitty began “it freaked people out” to be able to find high-quality patterns online. “It was completely free and it didn’t stink,” she said.

A lot has changed in the 13 years since Knitty began, but its mission is the same: to bring knitters amazing patterns, to inspire and publish new knitting designers and to share projects from the names we already know and love. Lots of knitters who are now household names (to us, anyway) have been published there, and lots of now classic knitting patterns were published there, too (I’ve still got to knit a Clapotis).

What has changed is the online advertising environment, the number of people willing to buy ads, what they will spend on them and the number of readers who click them. Singer reports the magazine has been making less money every issue recently, and they’re now making less than they did in 2008.

This is sad news, and we definitely don’t want Knitty to go away. And while Singer says “we’re going to remain free as long as we are able to publish,” that time could be limited without more financial support.

So the magazine has started a campaign on Patreon, which is “like an ongoing Kickstarter,” she says. It enables people to pledge a certain amount per issue (as little as $2) to help support its production.

Contributors get rewards at different levels, ranging from access to a news feed to getting a look at the latest issues 24 hours early, to swag and a private Facebook group.

The money will go toward ongoing costs like server costs and giving staff and designers a raise. Depending on how much is raised, funds could also go toward redesigning the site, making it more mobile friendly and updating old issues to work better with new technology.

I can’t imagine a knitting world without Knitty; if you feel the same way I hope you’ll contribute. And share your Knitty stories here!

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Comments

  1. Hello, I did not know about this site until recently. Although I live in Thailand where nobody Needs much Knitware, I love knitting and have Family in cold places. love to see your Newsletter regularly

Have you read?

Knits with Sheep

It felt like it had been a while since I’d done a roundup of knitting patterns involving sheep, and if search is any indication, that is true. I found a roundup of patterns for knit sheep from a few years ago, but the only one with v I could find is from 2015. So it’s definitely time to revisit this fun genre of knitting patterns.

This all started with a headband. Alyssa Kaat’s Icelandic Sheep Headband (free on Ravelry) to be specific. Ravelry showed it to me as a pattern highlight and I couldn’t resist taking a closer look. It’s worked with two colors of worsted weight yarn and alternates sheep with stars around your head.

Another great sheepy headband is this one from Loch Fyne Crafts on Etsy. These sweet little sheep are worked in bulky yarn and you can make the background look like field and sky or work it in a solid color.

Or make a headband (or a hat, cowl, or all three) covered with a flock of sheep with this set of patterns from New Age Knitting CA. These pieces also use the field/sky coloring, but you can use whatever colors of worsted weight yarn you like.

Speaking of hats, there’s also the sheep hat from Lynann Knits Designs. The sample was worked in Icelandic wool to make the sheep and the hat extra fuzzy and warm, but any worsted weight yarn will work.

There’s also the Wandering Sheep hat from Kat Hudon (on Ravelry), which features a fun collection of speckled sheep that can be worked in different yarn weights to make different sizes of hats for kids and adults.

And lest you think sheep need to be knit in traditional stranded colorwork, check out the Rebel Sheep Mob blanket by Deborah Moore. This one is worked in mosaic knitting using fingering weight yarn. In mosaic knitting you’re only working with one color per row so it’s pretty easy. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

I can’t possibly share sheep knitting patterns without mentioning the amazing Black Sheep Shadow Shawl by Mark Jamieson. Shadow knitting is a technique I want to do more of, but it involves working two rows alternating in two different colors and the pattern emerges when you look at the design from an angle. It’s so cool and the sheep on this one are amazing! It’s not a beginner project but well worth the work. You can find it on Ravelry or at the designer’s website.