Pom Pom Magazine to Cease Publication

The makers of Pom Pom magazine, known for its lovely production values and stylish but accessible patterns, have announced they will cease publication. The upcoming January edition, number 48, will be the last.

A letter from the founders posted on their website and on Instagram said the magazine was launched by the founders in 2012 with a £600 investment and has grown to include offices in the UK and the US and is stocked in more than 700 shops around the world.

They said in their statement:

Pom Pom was founded during a renaissance of printed magazines, when many believed print was dead. We knew that makers are tactile people, and our readership appreciated the beautiful paper and lithographic printing that has always been a hallmark of our publications. We have always sold more in print than digitally. The world has changed unimaginably since our foundation. The cost of paper and printing has more than doubled in recent years, as has the cost of shipping. Though we tried many, many ways of continuing to make Pom Pom work as a print publishing company, we cannot continue without compromising the values on which we were founded. It has been an incredibly difficult struggle but we can safely say we gave it our all.

The upcoming issue, they say, is “among the best issues we’ve ever produced” and the company is still incurring a lot of costs to be able to produce it. They ask for help from those for whom “Pom Pom has been a meaningful part of your crafting life over the past twelve years” to buy back issues and books to help offset the costs of production of the last issue and allow them to pay their staff and freelancers.

You can visit their online store here, were almost everything is 50 percent off. You can check out back issues on Ravelry if you want to find the designs you’re most likely to make more easily.

It’s a shame that the production values that have made it such an asset to knitters and crocheters are also what makes it impossible to continue as they have, and we wish all involved the best in their future projects.

[Photo: Pom Pom]

One of my favorite things to make on a circular knitting machine is scarves, because they’re a great way to use leftover yarn and certainly faster than knitting by hand.

But if you pay attention to the colors you’re using and how you are using them, you can make fun knitting machine scarves that look like something different when you roll them up.

One of the first versions of this I saw was the sushi scarf, are there are a lot of variations on this one. For example this one from Flower and Anchor that uses five colors of yarn, or this one from Three Threads NE that uses four. These generally are made to look like California rolls, but you could change up the colors to make them different things if you like. Just make sure the outside of the “roll” is black or green to indicate the nori. I found another version on Pinterest if you’re looking for a free pattern, but there’s no image of it rolled up.

Another popular variation is making a scarf that rolls up to look like a mug with coffee, tea or another fun beverage inside. This collection of three mug scarf circular knitting machine patterns from Idaho Cottage Creation includes green tea, a pumpkin spice latte with whipped cream and a candy cane colored confection (which honestly reminds me of the Grinch since it has a green mug!). Again you can change the colors of the mug part and the drink part. The little handle looks like it’s crocheted on these, and it doubles as a loop you can thread the scarf end through when you wear it.

Again there’s a version of the green tea scarf on Pinterest with crocheted elements. I also found a latte done with a striped yarn and a red mug that’s pretty cute and gives you an idea what a different beverage would look like.

I also love this pumpkin pie scarf designed by Jodi Favish Saunier. It has a bit of crocheted edging to give it a fancy crust but you can omit that if you don’t crochet. These are all on Facebook but she also has a watermelon and lemonade pattern that are super cute.

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