Pourquoi Vogue?

Ran into my LYS today and was stopped short in my tracks by this:

The current issue of Vogue Knitting magazine is shown on the left, the current issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine on the right.

My point is that I was unprepared for the surprise that Vogue Knitting has been transformed into Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

I know Martha has launched a new line of yarn but does that justify the cover? And the image itself? Is there insufficient editorial independence so that the cover colors ended up beige and pink to coordinate with Martha Stewart Living magazine? And what is the point of the “easter egg” basket of pastel yarn?

This cover makes no sense given the careful image Vogue knitting has built up over the years. Aside from the fact that folks like me often only purchase the magazine because they find an image of a pattern on the cover particularly striking.

I leave you with a montage of some recent gorgeous and inspiring Vogue Knitting magazine covers.

So long Vogue Knitting.

Natural fibers and making your own clothes

There are so many reasons for making your own clothes. There is the joy of the creative outlet, being able to make something that fits, the liberating feeling of being in charge of your own wardrobe ….. etc.

One decision we all take when we make something is what kind of fiber and yarn we use. In a recent study, microscopic fibers shed from polyester and acrylic garments cause an accumulation of microplastics in the ocean.

No one knows precisely how this will impact the marine environment. But it is clear that these plastics can become concentrated as they move up the food chain.

A Science Magazine article reporting on this study suggests that one work around for this is to develop devices by which washing machines and sewage treatment plants can keep these fibers out of the environment.

But another way is for us to have clothing made from natural fibers. I love my Patagonia fleece as much as anybody. But the fact remains that an equivalently functional garment from natural fibers is just not available to the average consumer. The reason for this is presumably that such garments would be prohibitively expensive to produce, both in terms of labor and raw materials and also because of garment maintenance (you can’t just toss your woolly sweater into the average washing machine).

But that is where we come in. WE can make our own and we get to choose our fiber.

I’d match the warmth and comfort of a garment like Teva Durham’s Cabled Riding Jacket pictured below, top), or Ysolda Teague’s Vivian over a fleece cardi anyday. Not to mention the extra style factor. Now I just have one more incentive.

Getting to grips with the WIPs

One of the very positive impacts of Rhinebeck was that it really rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the craft.

Partly this was seeing all the gorgeous hand knits on the Rhinebeck visitors, and partly also from seeing the new directions in knitting and crochet, as evidenced by all the terrific designers and innovators showcased at the festival.

Since rediscovering knitting and crochet as an adult, I’ve done a lot of hats, some lace, baby sweaters and the like but I have only really futzed around the edges of knitting. I have a passion for yarn and have collected a substantial fair amount but so far have only really played with it, testing out the properties of different yarns, trying different techniques (cables, moebius. what’s it like to knit with silk/mohair/superwash? etc.).

What I have not done much of however is making garments. There have been a few attempts.

For instance, I’ve had the two arms and body of a yoked pullover hanging around for ages, but have not managed to put them together into a yoke that fits me in spite of about 5 attempts.  I have blamed this on my weird little bod with its academic stoop, tiny shoulders and middle-aged front droop. But the reality is that I saw simply gorgeous yoked pullovers at Rhinebeck being sported by women who were certainly far from the tall Nordic type with wide straight shoulders. So surely it can be done! I just have to get back on the horse.

Another side effect of my dilettantism is that I have flitted from one project to another and have accumulated a pile of WIPs. Partly this is personality; I have to admit I am a terrible combination of easily distracted mentally restless, undisciplined and perfectionist. Also, many of my WIPs are projects that got to the stage where they needed some concerted effort and time, not projects that I could knit on happily in the dead of night or take when I hang out with my knitting buddies.

But I am slowly coming to the realization that as much as one learns from getting a project underway, one also learns as much, or even more by finishing the project. Finishing synthesizes your new knowledge and puts it in context.

Finishing, for better (it fits and looks good and the yarn suits the pattern), or worse (it is a flop) is very important. Nobody wants the latter of course. But you can only learn through trial and error, through making mistakes. Flops are going to be part of that, indeed flops are necessary to master this discipline and go from having fun with my knitting, to creating a garment that I will wear with pride.

I also am coming to the realization that my WIPs are hanging over me, getting to be a drag. I need to grit my teeth, get over the fear of failure and clear them out in order to start on the next phase of my knitting and crochet life.

So, in the next few months, I want to get to grips with the WIPs. I will move them forward or march them to the frog pond, or whatever. This weekend I spent some time retrieving them and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with them. I am also thinking about my next round of knitting plans and also keeping going on a couple of projects that can be done on automatic pilot for pure relaxation.

My WIPs will be documented here in all their gory detail. Making them public I hope will spur me on to bring them to a resolution!