Meet the New Editors at Interweave Knits and Knitscene

As I told you a few months ago, Eunny Jang, Interweave Knits’ editor since 2007, left the magazine with the summer 2013 issue. Knitscene editor Lisa Shroyer has moved up to edit that magazine, and Amy Palmer has taken over as editor of Knitscene.

If you’d like to know more about these ladies, you can check out Lisa’s and Amy’s introductory posts on Knitting Daily.

I always think it’s kind of fun to watch how magazine change with different editorial leadership. IK and Knitscene are two really distinctive magazines that have somewhat different audiences with different tastes and styles, so it will be interesting to see how new editors change the look and feel of these knitting publications.

As an aside, I thought for about half a day about applying to run Knitscene. Wouldn’t that be an awesome job?

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

Comments

Mimi Routh says
September 14, 2013 at 4:58 pm
I quit my subscription to IK a couple years ago, asked for a refund. Too much negative ease and proportions that made even the models look fat. For awhile IK was adventuresome. Than . . . every issue just made me angry. I found the brand new issue at my library in South Lake Tahoe, CA, the subscription dedicated to the memory of some well loved knitter. I sat there and relished every single page. So many interesting ways to keep warm. Love the black and white mittens, the baby jacket. Lovely! Welcome, Lisa! Now about that white cabley sweater in the picture . . .
Debbie says
October 15, 2013 at 5:32 pm
I have had the opposite reaction to the Fall 2013 issue of Interweave Knits, and I didn’t even know Eunny Jang was not longer the editor. Right now I am glad I did not renew my subscription, but instead opted to buy individual issues for a while. There was not one single pattern in there I would make for myself, though there were pretty things. They all seem designed for super-skinny fashion models, clinging to the body everywhere. Any that did not, I did not find attractive. And there really didn’t seem to be too much variety in the projects, either. As someone who has lost a massive amount of weight, I do not want body-clinging patterns at all. The next time, I will be smart enough to thumb through the issue so I won’t waste what little money I have on a magazine I regret buying.

Next Pattern:

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