Many

I went to bed last night in a really good mood and felt like all was right with the world. I'd had the kind of week that had quite a few wins, good surprises and just felt a lot of satisfaction from interactions I'd had. I'm plodding through some nice work with some fabulous designers and yarnies, I'm writing, I'm knitting a little, and all is right in the world. 

Let me show you. 

Firstly, I had an article that I wrote about The Ricefield Collective published. I adore this project and think it's a really good model for future fashion initiatives. I happen to know Anna Maltz, one of the designers and key players in the development of RC so I feel like I've watched this grow for quite some time. If you want to check out the article, it's in Issue 63, out now. 

Then I finished some magical socks. Yup

These are Afterthought Heel Socks in  Trailing Clouds 'Mind The Gap' colourway. I'm a sucker for self striping yarn and this was one of the few skeins I've bought and just cast straight on. I generally save skeins in some kind of Gollum fashion but I'm trying to get better about releasing their potential into the wild. 

These are wild aren't they? As a London girl, I found myself trying to name all the stations on each tube line as I knit! I also won the gamble of going down to 2mms to see if I can get a really firm, stretchy fabric as my gauge has changed. So far, I'm winning in that they fit. Let's see if these wear a little better as a result. 

So then I was sad as I had no socks on the needle right?

WRONG. 

As if Asti sensed I was ending a WIP, a magical skein of Juno Fibre Art's Buffy Toughie arrived just in time for me to cast on a special sock that I will be blogging about next month. I can't get over how much I love the variegation in this skein. 

You'd think this would be enough right? No! There's more! I then saw that an article I wrote, possibly my most favourite ever, published in this issue of Knit Edge magazine. It's about knitting and gender stereotypes and politics. I mean, you can't get more me than that right? I tried to work in gin, I swear but I think we can all agree that nothing should be THAT perfect. 

These Are The Days

Life is falling into some kind of hazy lull here in the playful house. The giant is on paternity leave and we're learning our little girl's habits and just how much sleep we can cope without. Friends and family arrive with food and respite and we introduce them proudly to the playful babe. It's all rather nice. 

I've managed to knit the grand total of a row and a half which believe me, felt amazing. I've looked at magazines and have now got a bit better about actually opening them and diving in. First up was Mollie Makes, a little saccharine for my tastes but full of thoughts of learning to sew (one day) and projects I will accomplish for gifts..... NEXT year. 

It's the knitting magazines (naturally) that I've really indulged in. I rarely read magazines from cover to cover, preferring to pour over certain articles or patterns and returning to reread them again in the months to come. What I've discovered I have a talent for is reading cover to cover (including adverts!) and returning to pour over pattern details later. This, therefore, prolongs the life of the magazine which is considerably easier to hold with and nurse than a paperback book. Thank God for the Kindle!

Knitscene Winter 2012 excelled itself and my highlights were the short row shaped shawls in triumphant colours from the very talented Kyoko Nakayoshi. Isn't it stunning? I can't wait to think up my own colour combinations and laze my way through comfort knitting and wraps and turns. I love a wrap and turn. 

(c) Interweave Press

I also really appreciated the Farmstead Cardigan by Amy Gunderson as I realise I am woefully lacking on the warm winter cardigan front. I adore the panels on this and it's simple but stylish shape. As always, the simple pullover with lace detail stole my heart and this issues Gate Pullover delivered just the kind of pullover I want to fill my wardrobe with. There's an interesting construction to this too which has me intrigued: it's worked side to side. 

(c) Knitscene

Then I noticed the new Twist Collective has gone live and need to find time to drool further on a bigger screen than my iphone. In the meantime though, my dreams are haunted by the decadence of Rachel Coopey's 'Chamomile'. 

(c) Jane Heller

What have you been fantasy knitting?

New Sponsors

I made the decision to take on blog sponsors a few months ago as a way to support competitions, prizes, postage and packaging etc etc and I promised myself that I would think very carefully about who I invited to join the playful family. There's lots of great talent out there and I love the response I get from listeners and readers so I wanted to add a diverse bunch of indies that would appeal. 

This month I'm welcoming pom pom quarterly magazine to the fold and I'm so excited for them. pom pom is a quarterly publication based in London, UK for smart, creative types who like knitting patterns with a modern aesthetic, great photography, and interesting writing. They're also into lots of other types of crafts and music, fashion, art, food, and just generally making the world a little more beautiful with the things we make. That's something I can get behind.

Issue 2 has just been published ready for Fall and it's a goodie. Packed with beautiful colours, inspiration and fun, I was really taken with the smooth way they've handle the tricky 'follow up' that often comes after a stellar first hit like their premier issue. They nailed it quite frankly and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this pair. I'm sure you'll show your support to help keep the lights on here and enjoy a real fresh new way of presenting crafting. I love it.

12 Women in 12: Genny Stevens

I love indy types and I've made no secret about that fact. I love anyone with a vision to do things differently, represent alternative voices to the mainstream and offer a fresh look at something. It's why when I heard about 'Entangled Magazine' for the first time, my ears pricked. It wasn't just another publication focusing on patterns, models and trends but all things fibre, with stories and indepth features about specific aspects of the crafting world. I was hooked, so for this month's  12 Women in 12 I caught up with Genny Stevens, the creator and editor of Entangled magazine.

(c) Genny Stevens

Genny started out as a podcast host, recording 'Crafternoon Tea with Grannyg' which introduced her to interesting and inspiring fibrecrafters. For Genny, telling fibrecrafter's stories and connecting with people around the world was the part she loved the most and when she travelled to the US to attend Rhinebeck in 2010, things got even more serious. After this trip, Genny knew the global fibrecraft community was where she belonged and so decided to somehow make this her world.

Like many of us, Genny was in a job she really hated which compelled her to look at what she was going to do from a point of viability. Looking at her options, Genny knew that things such as dyeing or designing wouldn't work for her because in her own words she either didn't love the process enough for it to be a profession or it lacked scalability, relying on output vs hourly input i.e indie dying. On January 19th 2011, Genny suddenly realized that her true love was magazines as she loves to tell stories and it built on her previous skill set. Genny then identified a friend who was a magazine editor in her circle who would mentor her and set about the hard work it takes to set up your own magazine.

Building on the contacts that she'd made during her podcasting days, Genny was quickly able to attract talented writers to contribute to her publication. Once the first preview launched however, Genny had writers contacting her directly, attracted by the quality and focus of the magazine. And how did she keep them? Well, in Genny's words:

"I think they continue to be involved because I give writers a lot of free reign with content - I want them to write about stuff they're interested in, and to write the story how they see it."

(c) Entangled magazine

That's not to say Entangled has been an easy ride, with all of these writers flocking in and the international respect that it has quickly earned. Like any publisher, bills have to be paid and when you are a one woman show, finding time to dedicate to advertising, promotion and all the things that help you keep up with magazines produced by big publishing houses is tricky to say the least. Entangled is presented digitally in the hope to level the playing field, it provides content at the same cost at the same time around the world. When Genny has an issue to go, there is no delay with distribution and people get it immediately into their inboxes. It was one of the ways Genny could establish Entangled magazine on an international level and large scale.

What's more, Genny shares her vision for a good craft story with readers and has launched an indiegogo crowdfunder that will allow Entangled to grow and compete in an international market. Like so many crowdfunders, it presents supporters with the opportunity to be part of a community whice goes hand in hand with Genny's philosophy. When I asked her what advice she would give those who wished to try something similar, her advice was clear,

"Surround yourself with awesome people, find your cheerleaders - you might be surprised by who they are and who they are not, and don't be afraid. Having a good community is key and be open to where you find that. Be open to all possibilities, take every opportunity, and don't be afraid to change your life."

Genny remains pragmatic however, insisting that you need to be honest with the hard work and type of skills you need to use in order to make such a venture a success.  She admits that she loves editing and publishing Entangled and looks forward to working on it every day. It's not just a hobby, it's a work commitment and Genny strongly advises that people keep that in mind and know where their exit strategy is if it becomes too much.  Genny believes that starting your own venture is a huge sacrifice and how far you will go to make this vision a reality is all about preparation, dedication and support.

The view from Genny's home office keeps her sane!

A huge thank you to Genny for sharing her words, her advice and her vision with the playful readers. I wish her every success with her quest for craft stories.

Stay tuned for more 12 women in 12 and please do join in to show your appreciation for great business stories by either tweeting along on twitter (#12womenin12) or sharing your feelings on your own blog. Be sure to let me know/ link us in, I'd love to know what you think!