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Publisher F+W Media Files for Bankruptcy Protection

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interweave parent files for bankruptcyF+W Media, the publisher of many craft and hobby related publications, including Interweave books and magazines, filed for bankruptcy protection, citing changes in the industry and mismanagement for their financial problems.

The company has said it plans to sell off parts of the company in order to pay its creditors, including its communities group and its books division.

There is no word yet on whether any of the company’s magazines will cease publication, though it was reported that subscriptions across its properties have dropped from 33.4 million in 2015 to 21.5 million in 2018 (and ad revenue dropped from $20.7 million to $13.7 million in the same time period).

And while a lot of the crafting community has moved online, that hasn’t been a successful proposition for F+W (which also publishes titles like Writers’ Digest and Popular Woodworking). In just the crafts sector, the company spent $6 million in its online efforts and only generated $3 million in revenue.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Of course we always hope for the best for crafting publications and the industry as a whole, but as things continue to change companies will have to evolve in ways that are profitable and effective and inspiring for crafters.

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Comments

  1. I’m still getting several emails a week encouraging me to subscribe to their magazines– Beadwork, Interweave Crochet, and several for which I have no interest in the crafts they feature. And they all require I be on an “automatic renewal” plan….

Have you read?

Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]