I'm pleased beyond words to announce that this issue IS LIVE!!!! 

I hope you find it was worth the wait.

{visit Knotions Winter 2008}

If you're reading this you're hitting the site via the new hosting provider!

Let's give this a couple days to make sure everything transitions smoothly.  I'll update the blog as soon as we launch!

We've been migrated to the new platform and are taking stock to make sure everything is configured properly.  So far things are looking good.

We'll monitor the site to confirm we get at least 48 hours of uninterrupted service before we launch (we don't want to launch only to have a technical problem).

Thank you all SO MUCH for your outpouring of good wishes and supportive comments.  I am floored by how great you all have been through it all.

I think we're really close!

We're getting closer.  I finally got a real update from the ISP.  We know exactly what the issue is and we've developed a short term and long term fix.

The ETA on the short-term fix is 24 hours.  The ETA on the long-term fix is TBD (they actually tried to implement it this morning but it failed).

So, the big question on your minds is when will we launch?  Well, it's on my mind too!  We'll launch as soon as we're stable -- and by that I mean as soon as we have a full day without this problem.  The earliest that will be is tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.  Once things are rolled out I'll be sure to post on Ravelry, on this blog and on my own blog so you'll all be sure to know.

Thanks again for all your support and patience these past couple days.  Technology is fun, isn't it?

Just a quick note to let you all know that we'll be launching tonight.

As luck would have it, the site had a problem with the hosting provider and had to undergo some emergency maintenance last night.  We've now been moved to a brand new server.  I just tested the site and it looks like our new digs are working fine so we should be in great shape for tonight's launch.  While I would have preferred it didn't happen at all, better to happen right before launch than right after.

I'll post here when we launch, but it should be late evening EST.

I'm sorry for the delay!

I'll keep this one brief -- the preview is up!

The Good News

Can you believe we're less than 2 weeks away from the launch of the second issue?  Last issue I swore I would find a way to have more content on the blog in the weeks leading up to launch, but here we are 13 days away.  There's lots going on behind the scenes though -- pattern editing, photo cropping, chart making, and web site building.

The Better News

We do have a fun little giveaway in store for you with this next issue. Yarn!  Needles!  Books!  You'll need to be a member of the site in order to take part in the give aways.  I know, signing up for a site can be a pain.  We promise not to rent or sell your information -- what you share with us is only for us at Knotions.  If you haven't registered yet, visit our registration form -- it should only take a minute -- and you'll be all set to take part in the give aways when the site launches.

And Saving the Best for Last

If you're anxiously awaiting the preview, it will be up on Thursday!

Here's a quick shot of the raglan's progress -- the body and all but an inch of the first sleeve are done.   The waist and bust shaping flanks the cable on the body, and I worked the shaping of the flared sleeve into the cable so it's nice and tidy (click through to Flickr for notes).

I'm still in love with this yarn (Tahki Sedona 90% Wool, 10% Silk) and the body blocked beautifully -- it grew in wdith but not much at all in length (*so* thankful my gauge swatch was right!).

Only 5 days to knit until Rhinebeck...

ps - yes, I'm still planning to publish yardage requirements in time for Rhinebeck -- although probably not until Friday.  If you need them earlier let me know and I can give you an estimate.

I keep getting emails and messages on Ravelry asking when the next issue launches.  I love hearing how excited you all are!

Mark your calendars -- the big day is Monday, November 3rd.

It's a huge issue and I am so excited for you all to see it!  It's twice as big as the last one -- with more garments, more accessories, and more articles.

While we're not quite ready to do the official preview, I just updated the list of yarns used in the Winter issue and I thought you all might enjoy seeing what was used in the designs.   This will give you a little sense of what's to come.

Look for the official preview in about 2 weeks!

Yarns used in the Winter Issue

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock That Rock
Caron Simply Soft Heather
Cascade Cash Vero
Commodum Aran Tweed
Crystal Palace Panda Cotton
Elann Peruvian Highland Silk
Filatura Di Crosa Baby Kid Extra
Fonty BB Merinos
GGH Samoa
Handmaiden Yarns Great Big Sea
Hayfield Double Knitting Superwash
Jaeger Silk
Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Kettle Dyed
Knit Picks Palette
Louet Gems
Luxury Collection Baby Alpaca Sport
Malabrigo Chunky
Malabrigo Worsted
Miss Babs Yummy Monochrome Superwash
Online Linie 155 Supercool
Queensland Kathmandu Aran
Rowan All Seasons Cotton
Schaefer Yarn Company Helene
Schoeller and Stahl Merino Cashmere
Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK
Sublime Soya Cotton DK
Valley Yarns Colrain
Zaol Canon
Zen Yarn Garden Gemilicious Fingering

Submissions for the Spring 09 issue are officially open.

This issue publishes February 2nd – think transitional garments that layer well, warm weather friendly fibers, cardis that...

Here's another sneak peak at the fall raglan.  It's coming along nicely, although I'm running up against some really tight deadlines at this point!  The body is just about done, so I still have sleeves, a yoke and a hood.  I'm still planning to wear this to Rhinebeck so I need to make some big progress today.

A few of you had asked if it will be done for Rhinebeck.  My plan is to wear it to Rhinebeck, although the pattern won't be out by then.  I should be able to calculate yardage though, so leave a comment if you're interested and I'll make sure I post yardage before the big day.

I'm not sure if I'll ever get sick of seeing reader FOs.  Here are 4 recent ones...

Just in time for the Taos Wool Festival, Rebecca Freed takes us on her journey through Northern New Mexico. 

Take in its gorgeous landscape and fiber arts rich culture, get the scoop on local yarn shops and knit-friendly locations, and of course, the Taos Wool Festival!

{Read the article}

After a long (and fun!) day of reviewing submissions, I've completed the review process for Winter 2008.  I believe I've sent accepts / declines to everyone who submitted a design, so if you haven't heard back (and I'm not in your spam folder!) feel free to to check on its status.

The number of submissions more than tripled for this issue, and I'm really excited about how Winter 2008 is coming together. I even have a design in it myself!

There's a lot of design work coming about here in the next 2 months -- the fall raglan will be out in about a month and the first of the new sock series will hit in October. All that and it's only 5 and a half weeks until Rhinebeck, 7 weeks until the Winter preview and 8 weeks until the Winter issue is live!

A new book comes out on Tuesday...

I have big news, people!

I've known for a while now that I'd need to add to the Knotions staff in order to keep the site developing and the content fresh, but asking others to work on "my baby" is a big step for both me and the magazine.  It's not easy to find someone who's reliable, great at what they do, and fun to work with to boot.

Well, I did it!  I'm very excited to announce that Carol Sulcoski will be joining our editorial staff!

I met Carol several years ago at Rosie's Yarn Cellar, but even if you're not from the Philadelphia area I'm sure you know her work.  She's one of the co-authors of Knit So Fine, the owner and master handdyer from Black Bunny Fibers, the editor and one of the designers of the upcoming book Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarns, and her designs have also appeared in several other books and magazines.

With a resume like that, Carol has a lot to offer Knotions -- writing, designing, and techniques articles were all possibilities.  One of the things that many of you have asked for in the readers' survey is that you'd like more periodic content.  I'm beyond pleased to tell you that she'll be doing a monthly book review for us.  I've always been a fan of Carol's No-Bull Book Reviews -- they're thorough, lots of pics, and after reading them I've felt like she gave me all the information I needed to decide if I wanted to buy the book.  Take a look for yourself -- here's a recent review she did on Knitting New Mittens and Gloves by Robin Melanson.

The book for her first review is in transit right now, so look for Carol's first review in the next few weeks.

Winter submissions officially closed yesterday.

I think submission time has become my most-favorite part of this process -- meeting all the new-to-me designers and seeing their work for the first time -- work that they want to be in the magazine.  It's such a big compliment when a designer wants their hard work represented in Knotions.

I'm really excited with the way this issue has come together -- more garments than Fall (something many of you asked for) and more articles too.  We've also got a bunch of small gift items -- a good mix for a pre-holiday issue, I think.  I even hope to have one of my own designs in this issue! 

If you were hoping to submit for Winter but you're a little behind schedule, email me and I might be able to extend the deadline if it would complement what's already in the issue.

Oh, and if you submitted a design for Winter I plan to reply to all submissions by end of this weekend.

fall raglan swatching

I've been swatching like crazy for the next installment of the ...

We found a couple errors in the charts for the Oak Leaf socks. {view the updated charts}

Wendy Bernard's new book -- Custom Knits -- was released today.  This is a beautiful book with designs for lots of body types...something that can be lacking in a book {view on ravelry}.  There are:

• sleeveless, short sleeved, and long sleeved pullovers
• fitted cardis, wrap cardis, and tie-front cardis
• boat neck, V-neck, and crew neck
• cropped, waist, and hip length
• bulky, worsted, and sport weight yarn
• shawl collar and stand up collar
• cables, texture, and lace
• a couple coats and a wrappy scarf

If you're a garment knitter there's great variety here for you, and at $18.15 on Amazon, it's a good value too.

BTW, this is the first post in our new "quick bit" category.  A few times a week we'll post something interesting we found online -- new books, designs, yarn, FOs, etc.

As the survey responses continue, there are some more questions that keep popping up on the radar.  Here are answers to a few more popular questions...

It was no surprise that yarn substitution was a popular request for upcoming articles. I've put together an overview that covers the basics of:

• Gauge
• Fiber
• Weight
• Ply

to help you make a more informed substitution on your next project.

I love including a survey - I really get to see what you all are thinking.  And once I see the same comment pop up quite a few times, I know it's something to really think about seriously.

Here's a sampling of questions and comments, some of which I'm sure are on your minds too...

Is this thing on?

Hey, there you are.  Welcome to the first issue of Knotions! If you're reading this then you know that we've moved to knotions.com.  The old domain will start to redirect here tomorrow, so you shouldn't have to update any links you have unless you really...