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Vickie Howell to Host “Knitting Daily TV”

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vickie howell knitting dailyI’m sure you all know about “Knitting Daily TV,” the fiber-arts-focused show produced by Interweave for PBS. The show is in its 11th season and has been hosted all that time by Eunny Jang, who was editor of Interweave Knits until earlier this year.

The word is out that Vickie Howell will be taking over the hosting job and getting her name in the title of the show, which will be called “Knitting Daily TV with Vickie Howell.”

Vickie, of course, is well-versed in the world of crafty TV, having hosted “Knitty Gritty” for eight seasons, as well as being the co-host of “Styleicious,” among other projects.

“Knitting Daily TV” is considered the longest continuously running fiber arts show in production (counting some time as “Needle Arts Studio with Shay Pendray”; it became “Knitting Daily TV” in 2010). The show’s format has changed some through the years but it focuses on knitting and crochet instruction, learning about yarn and project tutorials.

In a press release, Vickie said she “can’t wait to be back in fellow stitchers’ living rooms sharing my passion for yarn-crafts and the vibrant community surrounding it.” The feeling is mutual!

[Photo courtesy of Bernat via VickieHowell.com]

Comments

  1. I was really sad to hear Eunny was leaving IW and KDTV, and this news makes it worse. Vickie’s site and patterns always seemed to me to be aimed at pre-teens. I hope the standard of KDTV doesn’t sink that low.

  2. I agree. While I don’t dislike Vickie Howell, I have not seen even one single pattern of hers that I would ever consider making. I also really dislike the fact that her name is in the title. It would be different if Eunny’s name had been in the title before. This seems egotistical. On the screen shots I have seen, I have seen no mention of other people I love, like Kristen Omdahl, Laura Bryant and Barry Klein, Shay Pendray, and Clara Parkes. All I have read is Vickie saying, “I, I, I,” and “my, my, my.” Why did Eunny leave? I truly hope Kristen Omdahl did not leave, too. And I hope the show doesn’t start featuring those childish, clunky, unsophisticated type patterns I associate with Vickie Howell.

  3. Vickie turns me off. Her facial expressions look like she is so bored with her guests. Its like she’s being put upon to have the guest there and would rather do the whole show by herself.

Have you read?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]