photo: Lisanne & Bryce Thomas

How did we do that?

You know that ridiculous question, "What's your five-year plan?" Well, I think it's ridiculous. Who plans five years ahead? Certainly not me.

Five years ago, I pushed the go button for Knitty and look what's happened since. I'm very happily self employed making this magazine for you, I love my job and get to work in my pyjamas if I want to. And I often want to. I also don't have to keep track of how many sick days I've used, which is a good thing.

See, in early August, I awoke in the middle of the night in quite horrible pain and four days later, my gall bladder was in a trash bin. But August is fall Knitty production month. "Sure," I told Jillian. "I'll be able to work when I get home. I just have to sit at a desk." Silly me. I had no idea the abuse a belly button suffers in laparoscopic surgery [you don't want to know either], and clearly was misguided about my ability to remain reasonably vertical post-surgery. It took more than a week till I even had the energy to check my e-mail, and that's saying something.

So Knitty is a few days later this issue than normal, and I thank you for your patience and for waiting for us. I hope you like what you see. This fifth-anniversary fall issue is full of extra-special gall-bladder-free editorial goodness. And as my friend Jen Hendriks told me, "I really think that gall bladder was holding you back."

I think she's right.

Cool-weather Knitty swag is ready for you. Are you ready for it? Come in and take a peek!

Too soon to talk 2008 vacation? I don't think so! I think you should join me, Chrissy Gardiner [fab knitwear designer] and Brenda Dayne [host of Cast on and the patron saint of knitting] next May as we cruise and knit and have a great time on the way to Alaska! Look forward to classes with all of us, knitting onboard and off, knit-focused excursions and a killer goodie bag. Full details are here. I am pushing for at least one pajama knitting party on deck. We'll have to see how cold it gets! I think there's no better way to go with the flow than on a beautiful ship that takes you from port to port. Unpack once and watch as your home moves through blue waters populated by icebergs. I can't wait. Join me!

I love meeting Knitty people, so don't be shy! Come up and say hi! And remember -- to always know the latest Knittynews, sign up for the free Knitty reader list! The list is never shared with anyone and we only send out a few messages a year.

Amy R Singer
[editor, Knitty]

photo: Amy R Singer Jillian is spinning on a Bosworth Journey Wheel

I went to SOAR – the Spin Off Autum Retreat and it pretty much changed my spinning life.

It’s been a long time since I focused on something so intensely for so many days (6 days, 8-10 hours a day) with exactly the right amount of like-minded obsessives.

It was like camp, but better than camp. Spinners are friendlier, even friendlier than knitters (ducks). Friendlier but even more opinionated (ducks again), there can be blood spilled over talk of ‘the best’ wheel. Fiber people are good and generous people and there’s nothing like when 200 or so get together.

I learned what to relax about, what it’s better to be anal about and to love Shetland fiber. It almost doesn’t matter what classes I took. Each and every one tweaked my spinning brain somehow. Just being around all of those spinners, something happens. It might be osmosis or it might just be the relaxing. I found myself able to do things and see things I thought were out of reach for me as a spinner.

And some of my best learning didn’t happen in the classes. It’s the waiting in line, sitting around, watching Pride and Prejudice and drinking learning; the “show me how to do that”, or “do you know a better way to” learning, that was incredible, you think can’t learn or spin another thing, then you are.

All that learning will last as long as I have fiber to spin.

We'll be reviewing stuff!
Coming soon, Knittyspin will start publishing reviews of spin happy stuff, like we do here. If you have fiber, spindles, books, or other spinny products that you'd like us to review, write Jillian for submission information.

Jillian Moreno
[editor, Knittyspin]