What I told VougeKnitting

I recently learned, via Annie Modesitt’s blog, Modekint / Knitting Heretic, that VougeKnitting isn’t exactly treating designers fairly (see her post dated Friday, February 06, 2009, “Valuing Our Work”). This distressed me.

It distressed me because I am a graphic designer / freelance writer and I live by the wits of my brain just like a knitting designer does. Well, perhaps not quite “just like” because there is something truly magical about envisioning a 3-D wearable item — or not-wearable item as the case may be — making it, and then describing it in a 2-D format in sufficient detail for someone else to make it too. But, I digress.

A few months ago I received a great offer from VougeKnitting, or so it seemed. Four issues for $15. Wow. That’s good. So I subscribed. The first issue of the subscription came and even though I was somewhat bored with the vast majority of designs in that issue (it’s OK Jared, I liked the gloves) I figured every magazine has a dud now and then. No big deal. Then, I learned of Annie M’s post.

What to do? Well, this is what I did. I didn’t tear off the “letter” from the invoice. This gave me a whole bunch of room to write on the back. Then, I made a note on the invoice saying “Please see reverse side.” And this is what I wrote:

Dear Soho Publishing,
I recently learned that you are only offering designers 10 percent of online pattern sales. I understand that your original contract with these designers did not include any discussion of online sales; although, it did give you rights to resell patterns. In light of the changes the internet has made in the knitting world, your refusal to renegotiate fair terms (I do not see 10 percent as fair) has caused me to reconsider my subscription to your publication. I am a graphic designer / freelance writer and I understand the situation far better than these hastily jotted words may convey. Please cancel my subscription!
Sincerely,
Ruth

In this case, feel free to use any part of my message to VougeKnitting without any compensation.

Cool web site

Just found a cool web link that I had to share:
http://planetpurl.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=23
Here, you will find links to the errata pages for scads of knitting books. Nice.

Happy knitting!

Knitter Assistance Requested

Just a quick alert to send you here. Serendipity is asking knitters to offer help to those who have been impacted by the horrendous fires in Victoria, Australia.

I am also quite concerned about the impact the fires (and the flooding in Queensland) have had on animals. I haven’t looked yet to see what opportunities there are to help our animal friends. I know there were a tremendous number of dogs, cats and horses who were separated from their families in the flooding associated with Katrina. The same situation must have occurred in Australia too.

Meanwhile, I encourage you to support serendipity’s effort to raise money for the Red Cross. And besides, you might win something fun.

Around here, there has been lots of work, lots of planning going on (more on this topic one of these days) and lots of knitting.

I don’t have pictures to show, but the sleeves on Hamefarin, the resident non-knitter’s sweater (which he now claims he never wanted me to knit for him in the first place! — What is it with men??) are about 17 inches long and the body is within an inch of the same. Sleeves need to be 20.5 inches at the armpit (Did anyone say “ape arms?” No, not me, I wouldn’t say that.). Body needs to be 17 inches and then sleeves and body become joined and I get to start the raglan decreases.

I hope I can figure out how to make the translation from a pattern written for flat knitting to real knitting in the round. It didn’t look like it would be hard to figure out. I am a little concerned about decreasing in pattern. Increasing in pattern for the arms proved to me a more challenging concept than I had imagined. Don’t know why. It just was.

Resident non-knitter may be warned about raising his arms above his head in public. I just might not allow this. Especially if other knitters are in the vicinity. It might look better after I get the arms connected to the body and I take a needle and fiddle with the increases to smooth them out. Meanwhile, I’m not pleased, but there is no way on earth that I am going to rip those sleeves out AGAIN and try it a different way.

Third time’s a charm. Either that, or after two tries, the third just has to stick because I am too irritated, pissed, disgusted, etc. to start over again. There just comes a time when you have to move forward because doing it over isn’t making it better. I mean really, he doesn’t even want the sweater. Or so he says. It will look very nice just the way it is when it’s folded and sitting in the closet. The thought did cross my mind that I could have a nice comfy oversize sweater to wear around the house . . .

I am chomping at the bit to start another project. Can’t decide what it will be; but, fair isle looms large. A whole new technique for me! Tentatively, I’ll start with some fingerless mitts. I bought the kit for Glenesk and am smart enough to know that I need to learn “how” to knit fair isle before I start that baby. Maybe mitts and a pair or two of socks, maybe a hat . . . I guess I’ll see how it feels before I decide.

I’m learning to live with it

The internet connection goes up and down. I have come to think of it as a person, an older person, who likes to take naps — every day, all day. Sometimes, cat naps. Sometimes, siestas. Sometimes, just a good long sleep.

Apparently, this is just how it is and waiting for it to get better will be a very long wait indeed. Perhaps the universe is teaching me patience. I have resigned myself to living with it. Life goes on. I am back to posting.

While I have not braved the blog, I have braved the needles (and quite a bit of shopping!). See:

Bird's Nest Smoke Ring from Elann

Birds Nest Smoke Ring

I discovered elann.com thanks to the Claire, the enabler. I purchased several lovely yarns and found several lovely patterns including the Bird’s Nest Smoke Ring which was a fun and quick knit. It took only a week or two and viola, a pretty little neck warmer that’s soft and drapey. I used the Peruvian Baby Silk.

Then I started on the sweater (see previous post) for the resident non-knitter. This was against my better judgement as I have previously mentioned. None-the-less, I measured and swatched and commenced to knit. He said, “That won’t fit me.” I said, “Oh yes, it’s just jammed onto this 24-inch needle; but, it is your size.”

Then he said, “Is that the neck?” I assured him no, it was the ribbing that goes around the bottom. “It won’t fit,” he said. I replied again, a little more forcefully, “Oh yes, it’s just jammed onto this 24-inch needle; but, it is your size.”

I finished the first skein of Cascade 220 in all of it’s glorious yardage, and realized I had made a slight mistake in the cable pattern. Opps. Left out two rows of plain knitting for each pattern repeat. This in and of itself is not a big deal, I thought. It just makes the cable twist a bit tighter. I could add in a few repeats with one more row added back in, then do the same again with the other row added back in and it might actually be one of those fortuitous mistakes that gives the sweater a bit of nice shaping suitable to a man’s physique.

Or perhaps, if the loss of the two rows didn’t make the sweater less stretchy, I would just continue with my slightly revised pattern. I thought, I better have him try this on to make sure the pattern didn’t get too tight with this mistake modification.

I switched to a 100 cm cable and had him step into the sweater. It fit great! Plenty of stretch. In fact, I could pull the ribbing out about 8-inches from his body with no problems. Either solution, leave as is or gradually change over the next few rows, would work just fine.

“It doesn’t fit,” he said.
“What? Of course it fits.”
“Nope. It doesn’t fit around me.”
“Clearly it fits around you. It is around you. Look how much extra stretch there is.”
“It doesn’t fit around me.”
“I’ll block it, it won’t feel as tight.”
“I can’t possibly wear it. I can’t put it on.”
“IT IS ON!”
Glaring look that is not possible to capture in words from resident non-knitter.
Evil eye look that is not possible to capture in words from resident knitter.
Stalemate.

I frogged the entire thing and started over (not that evening mind you!) with an additional 30 something stitches in the ribbing.

Actually, although I hate to say it, it’s much nicer. I ended up with a K3P1 rib with extra stitches added in for the body only on the cable pattern itself. It turned out lovely and best of all, the resident non-knitter adores it.

Hamefarin Raglan Pullover

Hamefarin Raglan

Meanwhile, I’ve fallen in love with Cascade 220 and the newest knit store in Colorado! The Yarn Gallery is in Alamosa and is run by Kim of Cat Mountain Fiber Arts fame.

This has enabled continued yarn shopping in spite of a lousy internet connection! SQUEEEE!

Why not dance? I've got yarn!

She has a nice selection of her hand-dyed yarn, Jamieson’s, Cascade, some Noro, and bunches of other things. You can even buy needles, some books and other knitterly delights. What a nice treat to be able to shop for yarn locally!