Amusements

There’s a couple of interesting webzines you might like to take a look at. Links are in my sidebar. MagKnits has a new issue up. I love the freeform leafy collar! No plans to make it but it’s gorgeous. Fiber Femmes has a Jan/Feb 2007 issue up with some great articles including two reviews of the Louet Victoria wheel. We won’t discuss the pattern for a fuzzy steering wheel cover, okay? The voting has been tallied for the Favorite Fiber Fellow and it’s the wonderful Michael Cook, aka Oakenking. Go see his HGTV appearance video on his blog. His tabletweaving is amazing not to mention the silkworms. (Shhh…don’t tell anyone I voted for him!)

I’ve chosen to delete the link to Spun Magazine since despite information to the contrary, it hasn’t been updated for the better part of a year. I’m considering it defunct. A few others (The AntiCraft, For the Love of Yarn) haven’t had a new issue recently, but they should soon. A relatively new webzine (and one that I don’t have a sidebar link for but I think I’ve mentioned before) is the Crochet Insider. The crocheting/knitting celebrity interviews are really thought-provoking and in-depth. Right now they are soliciting your grandmother’s crochet for a future issue. How refreshing! Such a change from the “not-your-grandma’s” stuff. For another link to keep you busy for awhile, try The Yarn Museum. It’s full of lovely and interesting and arty handspun yarns. If you have some you’ve made that you’re proud of, take a picture and submit it. Don’t miss the section with finished objects from the yarns. Sometimes they actually get made into something good!

I also got a few paper magazines this weekend while I was walking my feet off. (I even have a bruise on my shin from my new Blundstone boots!) There’s both of the good bead mags out with new issues: Bead & Button and Beadwork. These are fat and juicy issues, but what gives with all the Swarovski crystal stuff? I’m sorry but I don’t like those scratchy things much. Not to mention the price of them! Obviously they’re really popular in spite of my opinions on the matter. I do like the way B&B has alternative pieces that the editors make while testing the directions and not always using the exact same components. Nice to see various options and colour combinations in the same pattern that completely changes the results. I also broke down and bought my first issue of Piecework in quite some time. It was all on knitting and was very interesting as a last hurrah for Nancy Bush who’s taking a break. I can hardly wait until she publishes her upcoming book on Estonian lace!

What else? Oh yeah, Cloth Paper Scissors which I like for the in-depth how-to stuff. I read it even if I never get around to doing it! The Interweave Press juggernaut has just swallowed up CPS and Quilting Arts to join the also recently acquired Lapidary Journal and all its other pubs (Art Jewelry, Step-by-Step Beads etc.). That only leaves a few of the better craft mags un-Interweave-d. At least they plan to leave all of the editorial and other staff in place so there shouldn’t be any major changes. At least not right away. What’s next for Interweave? Taunton (Threads), XRX (Knitter’s), Stampington (Art Doll Quarterly, Somerset Studio)…

Why play with all this great time-wasting stuff, you might ask? Because we are heading into yet another one of our lovely winter storms. They’re predicting more rain, wind and, possibly sometime tonight or tomorrow, snow. I’m in hibernation mode here.