I’ve neglected blogging. In the past couple of weeks I’ve
been a’ swatching. Mostly in the round to get gauge for garments, I want to knit.
I’ve been a bit cheesed off, lately. I’ve been keeping a tally of the number of emails I receive from Interweaves Knitting Daily, Knitting Traditions. It averages between three to five emails a day. More when there is a sale or special on. Almost all our shilling magazines, patterns, kits, classes or offerings from their “sister” whatever. When Sandi was producing the Knitting Daily emails I actually looked forward to them because at least once a week there was tip or trick that I found helpful and educational. What I really enjoyed was emails where members of the staff all modeled the same sweater sometimes with notes about modifications made. In the past year and half most of these emails just get their boxes ticked and deleted.
It is frustrating and relaxing at the same time. Frustrating
because I’d rather be knitting the garment. Relaxing…well it is knitting after all.
I’ve been a bit cheesed off, lately. I’ve been keeping a tally of the number of emails I receive from Interweaves Knitting Daily, Knitting Traditions. It averages between three to five emails a day. More when there is a sale or special on. Almost all our shilling magazines, patterns, kits, classes or offerings from their “sister” whatever. When Sandi was producing the Knitting Daily emails I actually looked forward to them because at least once a week there was tip or trick that I found helpful and educational. What I really enjoyed was emails where members of the staff all modeled the same sweater sometimes with notes about modifications made. In the past year and half most of these emails just get their boxes ticked and deleted.
What put me over the edge was an email announcing the
release of a book of 30 patterns by an author I’d never heard of and can’t find
on the web. Worse, the book’s web page only shows four patterns. Four!! I’m
used to going to Ravelry to look up all the patterns in an Interweave magazine
or book because their previews are so stingy. Unlike Vogue, that not only shows
you pictures but for the magazine, you get video of each garment on a live
model. So on the strength of four measly photos, Interweave expects that I and
thousands of others will plunk down $16.99…not!
I’ve also gotten in touch with the fact that I haven’t
nearly knitted down as much stash as I set out to this year. Hence the
swatching. I have started knitting the She’s Electric skirt. I used Ysolda’s
provisional cast on. I frogged and restarted twice and then went to Mon Tricot
knitting patterns book and discovered what I was doing wrong. Third time the
charm on size 10 needles. I did a k1p1 instead of the k2p2 ribbing, but I now
know how to do a k2p2 with this cast on. It makes a lovely edge for the skirt.
Not fears of rolling or curling. I repeated the garter squares chart twice to
lengthen the skirt from 16” to 20”. I am using Knit Picks Telemark in the
Carnation colorway. I bought 10 skeins when KP discontinued this lovely to knit
with yarn.
I used to get all their emails too but stopped them ages ago, for similar reasons to you. I used to buy the magazine for Interweave. Then the articles were less interesting than before and it was expensive. I bought one pattern from them online. The formatting was exactly as the magazine. Tiny pitch, hard to read font. No spacing or line returns to make sections plain. I spent about a day reformatting it, it wasn't a pdf. After the fuss and the other problems with the magazine i just stopped everything. Purchases, emails, advertising, whatever. I haven't missed it.
ReplyDeleteThat comment is from me, Shalom. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteShalom, I have to agree with you on articles. No matter what yummy projects are featured on the cover of Vogue Knitting, I settle down to read the columns by Meg Swansen and Deborah Newton first because I know I'm bound to learn something new. I've downloaded one e-book from Interweave that was in a weird format, but the rest have been .pdfs. Interestingly, in issues of Interweave Knit between 1997-2005 there are very good articles on techniques. What I also find less than forthcoming and which caused the problem for Cayap recently is items being offered for sale without the clear description in the email offer that they are books, not downloads.
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