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Vickie Howell to Host “Knitting Daily TV”

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vickie howell knitting dailyI’m sure you all know about “Knitting Daily TV,” the fiber-arts-focused show produced by Interweave for PBS. The show is in its 11th season and has been hosted all that time by Eunny Jang, who was editor of Interweave Knits until earlier this year.

The word is out that Vickie Howell will be taking over the hosting job and getting her name in the title of the show, which will be called “Knitting Daily TV with Vickie Howell.”

Vickie, of course, is well-versed in the world of crafty TV, having hosted “Knitty Gritty” for eight seasons, as well as being the co-host of “Styleicious,” among other projects.

“Knitting Daily TV” is considered the longest continuously running fiber arts show in production (counting some time as “Needle Arts Studio with Shay Pendray”; it became “Knitting Daily TV” in 2010). The show’s format has changed some through the years but it focuses on knitting and crochet instruction, learning about yarn and project tutorials.

In a press release, Vickie said she “can’t wait to be back in fellow stitchers’ living rooms sharing my passion for yarn-crafts and the vibrant community surrounding it.” The feeling is mutual!

[Photo courtesy of Bernat via VickieHowell.com]

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Comments

  1. I was really sad to hear Eunny was leaving IW and KDTV, and this news makes it worse. Vickie’s site and patterns always seemed to me to be aimed at pre-teens. I hope the standard of KDTV doesn’t sink that low.

  2. I agree. While I don’t dislike Vickie Howell, I have not seen even one single pattern of hers that I would ever consider making. I also really dislike the fact that her name is in the title. It would be different if Eunny’s name had been in the title before. This seems egotistical. On the screen shots I have seen, I have seen no mention of other people I love, like Kristen Omdahl, Laura Bryant and Barry Klein, Shay Pendray, and Clara Parkes. All I have read is Vickie saying, “I, I, I,” and “my, my, my.” Why did Eunny leave? I truly hope Kristen Omdahl did not leave, too. And I hope the show doesn’t start featuring those childish, clunky, unsophisticated type patterns I associate with Vickie Howell.

  3. Vickie turns me off. Her facial expressions look like she is so bored with her guests. Its like she’s being put upon to have the guest there and would rather do the whole show by herself.

Have you read?

Knit a Great Button Down Shirt

Just about anything you can make in fabric you can make in knitting, but there are some styles that you just don’t see that often translated into knitting. 

For example, a button down collared shirt. This is a classic design, of course, and it looks great in a knit version, but it’s just not something you see much of. 

Noma Ndlovu’s Guglethu shirt is the pattern to try if you want to knit your own button down shirt. This one is inspired by cashmere tops (though the sample was made out of yak yarn, not cashmere, and uses two strands of lace weight yarn held together) and includes lots of high-fashion details like double-knit cuffs, collar and shoulder seams. 

It has a patch pocket on the front and 10 buttons including the button band and the cuffs. 

The designer says you can also use a DK weight yarn held singly if you’d rather, and that the shirt looks good in a variety of yarns. There is another version on Ravelry that uses Berroco Remix Light, which is a mix of nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and cellulose fibers. It has a more relaxed look but it still really pretty. 

The pattern has 12 sizes, with a full bust measurement ranging from 32.35 to 72.25 inches, or 82 to 183.5 cm. The designer suggests 2 to 6 inches, or 5 to 15 cm, of positive ease when you pick your size. I could totally see knitting one that’s even bigger to wear more like a jacket, because I do that a lot with button down shirts I already own.

I love all the details on this shirt, which isn’t necessarily difficult to knit, but might introduce you to some things you’ve never knit before (like those cuffs with the plackets, or a shirt collar like this). 

To learn more about this shirt and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself, head to Ravelry. 

[Photo: Noma Ndlovu]

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