On the Horizon

Although I wish I had more time to knit, I also enjoy thinking about knitting and writing about knitting. This blog is a great forum for some of that, but there are some topics that need more: more time to compose, more space (or different layout), more careful attention from any hypothetical reader. That doesn't mean they belong in a book or a magazine, but they do seem to belong on paper.

I think it's a category that's sadly overlooked right now. We've all seen designs in magazines that were so thought-provoking that we immediately wanted to see multiple variations--but a magazine's space and scheduling constraints mean that there are never more than one or two versions. And we've all seen books that looked like they were basically one idea--one chapter--stretched out to fill 112 pages.

There's also a frustrating split between two kinds of content. There are books "about" knitting, which have charming anecdotes and no patterns; and there are books and magazines full of patterns, which may include a few paragraphs about the theory behind some of the designs or an unusual technique. But if there were to be a subject that required both color photographs and extended discussion, and maybe never got around to mentioning exactly how many stitches to cast on, I don't know where it would find a home.

Which brings me to a new project, the Noshi Knitting monograph series. It's meant to provide this kind of medium-sized structure for something too in-depth, too narrowly defined, or just too far off the beaten track for any other forum.

I have a partner in this venture, who has already discussed it from her own platform. She's a much more creative knitter than I'll ever be (this is where you can find out more about the part-mohair, part-aluminum garment you may have seen us working on in the shop over the last couple months), but I think she appreciates my ability to spot dangling modifiers.

Click over and have a look if you're curious.