Kara Gott Warner Promoted at Annie’s

Kara Gott Warner, editor of Creative Knitting magazine, has been named the new editorial director of knit and crochet at Annie’s, the speciality publisher that owns that magazine.

Warner will stay on as editor but will also oversee the company’s magazines Crochet! and Crochet World as well as the television series “Knit and Crochet Now!” (I recently reviewed its latest season over at About, if you missed it.) She first joined Annie’s in 2008 as a freelance knitting book editor, and joined the company full time in 2010 as executive editor of Creative Knitting magazine and knit publications.

“I’m passionate about yarn and the survival of the industry. In my new position as editorial director, I look forward to strengthening existing relationships with Annie’s yarn partners and cultivating new alliances as well. I believe this is an essential ingredient to our success,” she said in a press release announcing the promotion.

If you’d like to learn more about her, check out this interview I did with her.

Congratulations, Kara, and best of luck in your new position!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

Have you read?