Check Out Cooperative Press’ Knit Edge

Shannon Okey, better known to some as KnitGrrl and the mastermind behind indie fiber publisher Cooperative Press, one spent some time knitting a British knitting magazine. Since she left that publication to start the Press, she says people have been telling her they miss the work she did there, providing fun patterns and techniques that were not just for beginners but offered a challenge to more seasoned knitters, too, or at least something they hadn’t seen before.

Okey has now started a digital knitting magazine called Knit Edge, which premiered at TNNA last month. I took a look at “issue zero” and think it’s a sign of good things to come.

The sample issue has an article by double-knitting pro Alasdair Post-Quinn about a recent design of his — a scarf knit with images of a deck of cards — as well as a look at top-down sock knitting from Kate Atherley and an overview of podcasts by Heather Ovdover. Four patterns are included: a bulky lace and cable cowl, a colorful felted yoked pullover, a short-sleeved cardigan and a pair of fingerless gloves.

The first issue, which is a PDF, can be purchased for $3.99. Subscriptions are now available for the PDF version of the magazine, which will launch issue 1 in September. A year’s subscription is $14.99. You can also purchase a recurring single-issue subscription for $5.99 an issue. This is the choice for people who would rather read the magazine in app form rather than PDF (the app is not ready yet).

[Photo by Knit Edge/Cooperative Press.]

Looking for knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking for pullover and sweater patterns? Check these books out.

I guess I must have had this pattern on my mind, because I had chosen this log cabin blanket recipe to write about, promptly forgot about it and a couple of weeks later started knitting a log cabin blanket using all my pink yarn.

It might stay pink if it makes it to baby blanket sized, or I might add in some pastel green and blue, too, to make a bigger blanket. We’ll see. I’m also holding several strands of yarn together to make a kind of bulky yarn, which means it’s deeply satisfying how much yarn is used even as the project is still relatively small.

In Kristen Finlay’s version, DK weight yarn scraps (or fingering/sock yarn held double) are used to make a simple scrappy log cabin blanket that’s lighter weight than my version. Log cabin is a great technique for knitters of any skill level because it’s worked in garter stitch. The only not completely basic technique you need for log cabin knitting is picking up stitches.

If you’ve never worked a log cabin knitting project before, this is a good introduction, and it is really nice to use all your yarn scraps in one big project you’ll use for years to come.

If you use a lot of DK weight yarn you can keep building on it whenever you finish a project, or if you use more worsted weight you can do the same thing with it, it will just be a little bigger starting out than the pattern calls for. How big it gets is totally up to you.

I have really been enjoying working on my log cabin project, and it’s my current sitting at my desk and need a break knit (do you have one of those or is it just me?).

Ready to start your own log cabin blanket knitting project? You can grab the free pattern from Kristen Finlay on Ravelry.

Need more log cabin inspiration? Check out more log cabin knitting patterns.

[Photo: Kristen Finlay]

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