Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

SoHo to Close Knit Simple, Produce Fewer Issues of Vogue Knitting

by

The current situation in the world has made a lot of companies rethink their strategies and chances of long-term survival, sometimes in ways that probably should have been done before the outbreak.

Vogue Knitting and its parent company, SoHo Publishing, have seen a lot of changes in the knitting world in the past few years, as independent publishing of individual patterns through Ravelry and other venues has cut down on the number of people wanting to buy full issues of magazines or books about knitting. And of course with yarn stores closed and people shopping less in brick-and-mortar stores, there are fewer places available to sell knitting books and magazines as well.

With that and the current global situation in mind, SoHo has announced the closure of Knit Simple magazine and the reduction of publication of Vogue Knitting to, as of right now, to issues in the fall.

“This is where we began almost forty years ago—the brand is too strong and important not to continue,” Art Joinnides, president of SoHo Publishing, said in a newsletter.

The company recently took its Vogue Knitting Live show virtual, and its unknown whether or when in-person events will resume.

The note also announced the news that Norah Gaughan will be taking over as editor at Vogue Knitting, which is awesome. I can’t wait to see what comes next for this storied brand and publication.

Comments

Have you read?

Adorable Ghost Knitting Patterns

Adding a bit of knitting to your fall decor is a lot of fun, whether it’s knit pumpkins or a bunch of adorable knit ghosts like these.

Knit ghosts can be super simple like this free ghost knitting pattern from Trixie Zynch on Ravelry. Using about 50 yards of worsted weight yarn, they’re worked from the bottom up and are super cute as a pair. 

This fuzzy little ghost from Forest Knitting Toys is holding a pumpkin and wearing a witch hat, though of course the accessories are optional, as is the fuzzy yarn. The main yarn is chunky and the ghost measures about 10 cm/4 inches tall. It’s worked in the round. 

Another fuzzy ghost in more of a Pacman style is this ghost plushie form South Stitch Girls. It’s worked in the round with bulky yarn and includes a sweet little bow you can make in whatever color you like. 

The ghost doll from Edith Grace Designs has little arms and a curl at the top of its head. The body is worked flat using DK weight yarn and you could also work it in glow in the dark yarn for extra fun. The body and head are worked in one piece with the arms knit separately. 

The Grim Grinning Ghosts from Susan Claudino are super cute and you can knit them in any yarn and gauge you like to make ghosts of different sizes. These are worked in the round with the body done in one piece and the arms are knit separately. The ghosts shown were knit in sock yarn, DK and worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Make a ghost with funny striped legs with this ghost shelf sitter design from Claire Fairall Designs. It’s worked in three colors of DK weight yarn, and the letters spelling out boo are made with strips of garter stitch sewn into shape.